GIFT   OF 

TSS      A  IT  OP     .T 


vy 


THEJ     Y-A.CHT     CLUB 


THE  YACHT  CLUB ; 


OK, 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDEB. 


BY 


OLIVER    OPTIC, 


AUTHOR  OF  " YOUNQ  AMERICA  ABROAD,"  "THE  ARMY  AND  NAVT  SERIES," 

"THE  WOODVILLE  8TOKIE8,"  "THE  STARRY  FLAG  SERIES,"  "THE 

BOAT  CLUB  STORIES,"  "  THE  LAKE  SHORE  SERIES," 

"THE  UPWARD  AND  ONWARD  SERIES," 

ETC.,  ETC. 


WITH  THIRTEEN  TIIVSTRATIOJT& 


BOSTON: 
LEE    AND    SHEPARD,   PUBLISHERS. 

NEW  YORK: 
LEE,  SHEPARD  AND  DILLINGHAM. 


Gifl 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873, 

BY  WILLIAM  T.  ADAMS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


(V* 


Brown  Type-Setting  Machine  Company. 


Y3 


:M:Y 


CHARLES  H.  HASTINGS, 

OF  NEW  YOUK, 


(3 


M183205 


Ite  fart*  (BJta* 


1.  LITTLE  BOBTAIL ;  OB,  THE  WBECK  OF  THE  PENOBSCOT. 

2.  THE  YACHT  CLUB ;  OB,  THE  YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDEB. 

3.  MONEY-MAKER ;  OB,  THE  VICTOBY  OF  THE  BASILISK. 

4.  THE  COMING  WAVE;   OB,  THE  HIDDEN  TBEASUBE  OF 

HIGH  BOCK. 

5.  THE  DORCAS  CLUB;  OB,  OUB  GIBLS  AFLOAT. 

(The  sixth  in  preparation.) 


PREFACE. 


"  THE  YACHT  CLUB  "  is  the  second  volume  of  the  YACHT  CLUB 
SERIES,  to  which  it  gives  a  name ;  and  like  its  predecessor,  is  an 
independent  story.  The  hero  has  not  before  appeared,  though 
some  of  the  characters  of  "LITTLE  BOBTAIL"  take  part  in  the 
incidents :  but  each  volume  may  be  read  understandingly  with 
out  any  knowledge  of  the  contents  of  the  other.  In  this  story, 
the  interest  centres  in  Don  John,  the  Boat-builder,  who  is  cer 
tainly  a  very  enterprising  young  man,  though  his  achievements 
have  been  more  than  paralleled  in  the  domain  of  actual  life. 

Like  the  first  volume  of  the  series,  the  incidents  of  the  story 
transpire  on  the  waters  of  the  beautiful  Penobscot  Bay,  and  on 
its  shores.  They  include  several  yacht  races,  which  must  be 
more  interesting  to  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  exciting  sport 
of  yachting,  than  to  others.  But  the  principal  incidents  are  dis 
tinct  from  the  aquatic  narrative  ;  and  those  who  are  not  inter 
ested  in  boats  and  boating  will  find  that  Don  John  and  Nellie 
Patterdale  do  not  spend  all  their  time  on  the  water. 

5 


6  PREFACE. 

The  hero  is  a  young  man  of  high  aims  and  noble  purposes ! 
and  the  writer  believes  that  it  is  unpardonable  to  awaken  the 
interest  and  sympathy  of  his  readers  for  any  other  than  high- 
minded  and  well-meaning  characters.  But  he  is  not  faultless ; 
he  makes  some  grave  mistakes,  even  while  he  has  high  aims. 
The  most  important  lesson  in  morals  to  be  derived  from  his 
experience  is  that  it  is  unwise  and  dangerous  for  young  people 
to  conceal  their  actions  from  their  parents  and  friends ;  and  that 
men  and  women  who  seek  concealment  "  choose  darkness  be 
cause  their  deeds  are  evil. " 

HARBISON  SQUARE,  BOSTON, 

May  22, 1873. 


CONTENTS. 


PAG* 

CHAPTER    I. 
DON  JOHN  OP  BELFAST,  AND  FRIENDS 11 


CHAPTER    II. 
ABOUT  THE  TIN  Box. 28 

CHAPTER    III. 
THE  YACHT  CLUB  AT  TURTLE  HEAD 46 

CHAPTER    IV. 
A  SAD  EVENT  IN  THE  RAMSAY  FAMILY 63 

CHAPTER    V. 
CAPTAIN  SHIVERNOCK. 81 

CHAPTER   VI. 
DONALD  GETS  THE  JOB .99 

7 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VII. 
LAYING  DOWN  THE  KEEL. 117 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
THE  FIRST  REGATTA 135 

CHAPTER    IX. 
THE  SKYLARK  AND  THE  SEA  FOAM 153 

CHAPTER    X. 
THE  LAUNCH  OP  THE  MAUD.     .        .    •     .       .        .        .    171 

CHAPTER   XI. 
THE  WHITE  CROSS  or  DENMARK 189 

CHAPTER    XII. 
DONALD  ANSWERS  QUESTIONS. 201 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
MOONLIGHT  ON  THE  JUNO 220 

CHAPTER    XIV. 
CAPTAIN  SHIVERNOCK'S  JOKE. 244 

CHAPTER    XV. 
LAUD  CAVENDISH  TAKES  CARE  OF  HIMSELF.    .  .    264 


CONTENTS.  9 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
SATURDAY  COVE 283 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
THE  GREAT  RACE 302 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
THE  HASBROOK  OUTRAGE,  AND  OTHEB  MATTERS.     .        .    320 


THE  YACHT  CLUB; 

OR, 

THE    YOUNG    BO  AT-BUILDEK. 
CHAPTER  I. 

DON  JOHN   OF  BELFAST,    AND   FRIENDS. 

"  "TITTTIY,    Don    John,    how  you   frightened 
f  Y     me ! '  '    exclaimed    Miss  Nellie  Patter- 
dale,  as  she  sprang  up  from  her  reclining  position 
in  a  lolling-chair. 

It  was  an  intensely  warm  day  near  the  close 
of  June,  and  the  young  lady  had  chosen  the 
coolest  and  shadiest  place  she  could  find  on  the 
piazza  of  her  father's  elegant  mansion  in  Belfast. 
She  was  as  pretty  as  she  was  bright  and  viva 
cious,  and  was  a  general  favorite  among  the 
pupils  of  the  High  School,  which  she  attended. 
She  was  deeply  absorbed  in  the  reading  of  a 
story  in  one  of  the  July  magazines,  which  had 

11 


12  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

just  come  from  the  post-office,  when  she  heard 
a  step  near  her.  The  sound  startled  her,  it 
was  so  near;  and,  looking  up,  she  discovered 
the  young  man  whom  she  had  spoken  to  close 
beside  her.  He  was  not  Don  John  of  Austria, 
but  Donald  John  Ramsay  of  Belfast,  who  had 
been  addressed  by  his  companions  simply  as 
Don,  a  natural  abbreviation  of  his  first  name, 
until  he  of  Austria  happened  to  be  mentioned 
in  the  history  recitation  in  school,  when  the 
whole  class  looked  at  Don,  and  smiled ;  some  of 
the  girls  even  giggled,  and  got  a  check  for  it; 
but  the  republican  young  gentleman  became  a 
titular  Spanish  hidalgo  from  that  moment. 
Though  he  was  the  son  of  a  boat-builder,  by 
trade  a  ship  carpenter,  he  was  a  good-looking, 
and  gentlemanly  fellow,  and  was  treated  with 
kindness  and  consideration  by  most  of  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  the  wealthy  men  of  Belfast, 
who  attended  the  High  School.  It  was  hardly 
a  secret  that  Don  John  regarded  Miss  Nellie 
with  especial  admiration,  or  that,  while  he  was 
polite  to  all  the  young  ladies,  he  was  particularly 
so  to  her.  It  is  a  fact,  too,  that  he  blushed  when 
she  turned  her  startled  gaze  upon  him  on  the 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  13 

piazza;  and  it  is  just  as  true  that  Miss  Nellie 
colored  deeply,  though  it  may  have  been  only 
the  natural  consequence  of  her  surprise. 

"I  beg  your  pardon',  Nellie;  I  did  not  mean 
to  frighten  you,"  replied  Donald. 

"I  don't  suppose  you  did,  Don  John;  but  you 
startled  me  just  as  much  as  though  you  had 
meant  it,"  added  she,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  so 
forgiving  that  the  young  man  had  no  fear  of  the 
consequences.  "How  terribly  hot  it  is!  I  am 
almost  melted." 

4 'It  is  very  warm,"  answered  Donald,  who, 
somehow  or  other,  found  it  very  difficult  to  carry 
on  a  conversation  with  Nellie ;  and  his  eyes  seemed 
to  him  to  be  twice  as  serviceable  as  his  tongue. 

"It  is  dreadful  warm." 

And  so  they  went  on  repeating  the  same  thing 
over  and  over  again,  till  there  was  no  other  known 
form  of  expression  for  warm  weather. 

"How  in  the  world  did  you  get  to  the  side  of 
my  chair  without  my  hearing  you?"  demanded 
Nellie,  when  it  was  evidently  impossible  to  say 
anything  more  about  the  heat. 

"I  came  up  the  front  steps,  and  was  walking 
around  on  the  piazza  to  your  father's  library.  I 


14  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

didn't  see  you  till  you  spoke,"  replied  Donald, 
reminded  by  this  explanation  that  he  had  come 
to  Captain  Patterdale's  house  for  a  purpose.  "Is 
Ned  at  home?' ' 

"No;  he  has  gone  up  to  Searsport  to  stay 
over  Sunday  with  uncle  Henry." 

"Has  he?  I'm  sorry.  Is  your  father  at  home?" 

"He  is  in  his  library,  and  there  is  some  one 
with  him.  Won't  you  sit  down,  Don  John?" 

"Thank  you,"  added  Donald,  seating  himself 
in  a  rustic  chair.  "It  is  very  warm  this  after 
noon." 

Nellie  actually  laughed,  for  she  was  conscious 
of  the  difficulties  of  the  situation — more  so  than 
her  visitor.  But  we  must  do  our  hero — for  such 
he  is — the  justice  to  say,  that  he  did  not  refer  to 
the  exhausted  topic  with  the  intention  of  confin 
ing  the  conversation  to  it,  but  to  introduce  the 
business  which  had  called  him  to  the  house. 

"It  is  intensely  hot,  Don  John,"  laughed 
Nellie. 

"But  I  was  going  to  ask  you  if  you  would 
npt  like  to  take  a  sail,"  said  Donald,  with  a 
blush.  "With  your  father,"  I  mean,  added  he, 
with  a  deeper  blush,  as  he  realized  that  he  had 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDEU.  15 

actually  asked  a  girl  to  go  out  in  a  boat  with 
him. 

"I  should  bo  delighted  to  go,  but  I  can't. 
Mother  won't  let  mo  go  on  tho  water  when  the  sun 
is  out,  it  hurts  my  eyes  so,"  answered  Nellie; 
and  the  young  man  was  suro  sho  was  very  sorry 
sho  could  not  go. 

"Perhaps  wo  can  go  after  sunset,  then,"  sug 
gested  Donald.  "I  am  sorry  Ned  is  not  at  homo; 
for  his  yacht  is  finished,  and  father  says  the  paint 
is  dry  enough  to  use  her.  We  are  going  to  have 
a  little  trial  trip  in  her  over  to  Turtle  Head, 
and,  perhaps,  round  by  Scarsport." 

"Is  tho  Sea  Foam  really  done?"  asked  Nellie, 
her  eyes  sparkling  with  delight. 

"Yes,  sho  is  all  ready,  and  father  will  deliver 
her  to  Ned  on  Monday,  if  everything  works  right 
about  her.  I  thought  some  of  your  folks,  es 
pecially  Ned,  would  like  to  bo  in  her  on  the  first 
trip." 

"I  should,  for  one;  but  I  suppose  it  is  no  use 
for  mo  to  think  of  it.  My  eyes  are  ever  so  much 
better,  and  I  hope  I  shall  bo  able  to  sail  in  tho 
Sea  Foam  soon." 

"I  hope  so,  too.  We  expect  sho  will  beat  tho 
Skylark;  father  thinks  she  will." 


16  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

"I  don't  care  whether  she  does  or  not,"  laughed 
Nellie. 

"Do  you  think  I  could  see  your  father  just  a 
moment?"  asked  Donald.  "I  only  want  to  know 
whether  or  not  he  will  go  with  us." 

"I  think  so  ;  I  will  go  and  speak  to  him.  Come 
in,  Don  John,"  replied  Nellie,  rising  from  her 
lolling-chair,  and  walking  around  the  corner  of 
the  house  to  the  front  door. 

Donald  followed  her.  The  elegant  mansion  was 
located  on  a  corner  lot,  with  a  broad  hall  through 
the  centre  of  it,  on  one  side  of  which  was  the 
large  drawing-room,  and  on  the  other  the  sitting 
and  dining-rooms.  At  the  end  of  the  great  hall 
was  a  door  opening  into  the  library,  a  large  apart 
ment,  which  occupied  the  whole  of  a  one-story 
addition  to  the  original  structure.  It  had  also  an 
independent  outside  door,  which  opened  upon  the 
piazza;  and  opposite  to  it  was  a  flight  of  steps, 
down  to  the  gravel  walk  terminating  at  a  gate 
on  the  cross  street.  People  who  came  to  see 
Captain  Patterdale  on  business  could  enter  at  this 
gate,  and  go  to  the  library  without  passing 
through  the  house.  On  the  present  occasion, 
a  horse  and  wagon  stood  at  the  gate,  which  indi- 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  17 

cated  to  Miss  Nellie  that  her  father  was  engaged. 
This  team  had  stood  there  for  an  hour,  and 
Donald  had  watched  it  for  half  that  time,  waiting 
for  the  owner  to  leave,  though  he  was  not  at  all 
anxious  to  terminate  the  interview  with  his  fair 
schoolmate. 

Nellie  knocked  at  the  library  door,  and  her  father 
told  her  to  come  in.  She  passed  in,  while  Don 
ald  waited  the  pleasure  of  the  rich  man  in  the  hall. 

He  was  invited  to  enter.  Captain  Patterdale 
was  evidently  bored  by  his  visitor,  and  gave  the 
young  man  a  cordial  greeting.  Donald  stated  his 
business  very  briefly ;  but  the  captain  did  not  sa^' 
whether  he  would  or  would  not  go  upon  the  trial 
trip  of  the  Sea  Foam.  He  asked  a  hundred  ques 
tions  about  the  new  yacht,  and  it  was  plain  that 
he  did  not  care  to  resume  the  conversation  with 
his  visitor,  who  walked  nervously  about  the  room, 
apparently  vexed  at  the  interruption,  and  dissat 
isfied  thus  far  with  the  result  of  his  interview 
with  the  captain. 

What  would  have  appeared  to  be  true  to  an  ob 
server  was  actually  so.  The  visitor  was  one  Jacob 
Hasbrook,  from  a  neighboring  town,  and  his  rep 
utation  for  honesty  and  fair  dealings  was  not  the 


18  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

best  in  the  world.  Captain  Patterdale  held  his 
note,  without  security,  for  thirteen  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  Hasbrook  had  property,  but  his 
creditors  were  never  sure  of  him  till  they  were 
paid.  At  the  present  interview  he  had  astonished 
Captain  Patterdale  by  paying  the  note  in  full, 
with  interest,  on  the  day  it  became  due.  But  it 
was  soon  clear  enough  to  the  rich  man  that  the 
payment  was  only  a  * 'blind'7  to  induce  him  to 
embark  in  a  doubtful  speculation  with  Hasbrook. 
The  nature  and  immense  profits  of  the  enter 
prise  had  been  eloquently  set  forth  by  the 
visitor,  and  his  own  capacity  to  manage  it  en 
larged  upon;  but  the  nabob,  who  had  made  his 
fortune  by  hard  work,  was  utterly  wanting  in  en 
thusiasm.  He  had  received  the  money  in  pay 
ment  of  his  note,  which  he  had  expected  to  lose, 
or  to  obtain  only  after  resorting  to  legal  measures, 
and  he  was  fully  determined  to  have  nothing  more 
to  do  with  the  man.  He  had  said  all  this  as 
mildly  as  he  could;  but  Hasbrook  was  persist 
ent,  and  probably  felt  that  in  paying  an  honest 
debt  he  had  thrown  away  thirteen  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars. 

He  would  not  go,   though  Captain  Patterdale 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  19 

gave  him  sufficient  excuse  for  doing  so,  or  even 
for  cutting  his  acquaintance.  The  rich  man  con 
tinued  to  talk  with  Don  John,  to  the  intense  dis 
gust  of  the  speculator,  who  stood  looking  at  a  tin 
box,  painted  green,  which  lay  on  a  chair.  Perhaps 
he  looked  upon  this  box  as  the  grave  of  his  hopes ; 
for  it  contained  the  money  he  had  just  paid  to  the 
captain — the  wasted  money,  because  the  rich  man 
would  not  embark  with  him  in  his  brilliant  enter 
prise,  though  he  had  taken  so  much  pains,  and 
parted  with  so  much  money,  to  prove  that  he  was 
an  honest  man.  He  appeared  to  be  interested  in 
the  box,  and  he  looked  at  it  all  the  time,  with 
only  an  impatient  glance  occasionally  at  the  nabob, 
who  appeared  to  be  trifling  with  his  bright  hopes. 
The  tin  chest  was  about  nine  inches  each  way, 
and  contained  the  private  papers  and  other  valu 
ables  of  the  rich  man,  including,  now,  the  thirteen 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  just  received. 

Captain  Patter  dale  was  president  of  the  Twenty- 
first  National  Bank  of  Belfast,  which  was  located 
a  short  distance  from  his  house.  The  tin  box  was 
kept  in  the  vaults  of  the  bank;  but  the  owner 
had  taken  it  home  to  examine  some  documents 
at  his  leisure,  intending  to  return  it  to  the  bank 


20  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

before  night.  As  it  was  in  the  library  when  Mr. 
Hasbrook  called,  the  money  was  deposited  in  it 
for  safe  keeping  over  night. 

''I'm  afraid  I  can't  go  with  you,  Donald,"  said 
Captain  Patterdale,  after  he  had  asked  him  all  the 
questions,  he  could  think  of  about  the  Sea  Foam. 

"I  am  sorry,  sir;  for  Miss  Nellie  wanted  to  go, 
and  I  was  going  to  ask  father  to  wait  till  after 
sunset  on  her  account,"  added  the  young  man. 

Mr.  Hasbrook  began  to  look  hopeful;  for  the 
last  remark  of  the  nabob  indicated  a  possible  ter 
mination  of  the  conversation.  Donald  began  his 
retreat  toward  the  hall  of  the  mansion,  for  he 
wanted  to  see  the  fair  daughter  again ;  but  he  had 
not  reached  the  door  before  the  captain  called  him 
back. 

'  'I  suppose  your  father  wants  some  more  money 
to-night,"  said  he,  feeling  in  his  pocket  for  the 
key  to  open  the  tin  box. 

"He  didn't  say  anything  to  me  about  it,  sir," 
replied  Donald;  "I  don't  think  he  does." 

Hasbrook  looked  hopeless  again;  for  Captain 
Patterdale  began  to  calculate  how  much  he  had 
paid,  and  how  much  more  he  was  to  pay,  for  the 
yacht.  While  he  was  doing  so,  there  was  a 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  21 

knock  at  the  street  door,  and,  upon  being  invited 
to  do  so,  Mr.  Laud  Cavendish  entered  the  library 
with  a  bill  in  his  hand. 

Mr.  Laud  Cavendish  was  a  great  man  in  his  own 
estimation,  and  a  great  swell  in  the  estimation 
of  everybody  else.  He  was  a  clerk  or  salesman 
in  a  store  ;  but  he  was  dressed  very  elegantly  for 
a  provincial  city  like  Belfast,  and  for  a  "counter- 
jumper"  on  six  or  eight  dollars  a  week.  He  was 
about  eighteen  years  old,  tall,  and  rather  slender. 
His  upper  lip  was  adorned  with  an  incipient  mus 
tache,  which  had  been  tenderly  coaxed  and  col 
ored  for  two  years,  without  producing  any  prodig 
ious  result,  though  it  was  the  pride  and  glory  of 
the  owner.  Mr.  Cavendish  was  a  dreamy  young 
gentleman,  who  believed  that  the  Fates  had  made 
a  bad  mistake  in  his  case,  inasmuch  as  he  was 
the  son  of  an  honest  and  industrious  carpenter, 
instead  of  the  son  and  heir  of  one  of  the  nabobs 
of  Belfast.  He  believed  that  he  was  fitted  to 
adorn  the  highest  circle  in  society,  to  shine 
among  the  aristocracy  of  the  city,  and  it  was  a 
cruel  shame  that  he  should  be  compelled  to  work 
in  a  store,  weigh  out  tea  and  sugar,  carry  goods 
to  the  elegant  mansions  where  he  ought  to  be  ad- 


22  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

mitted  at  the  froDt,  instead  of  the  back,  door, 
collect  bills,  and  perform  whatever  other  service 
might  be  required  of  him.  The  Fates  had  blun 
dered  and  conspired  against  him;  but  he  was  not 
without  hope  that  the  daughter  of  some  rich 
man,  who  might  fall  in  love  with  him  and  his 
mustache,  would  redeem  him  from  his  slavery 
to  an  occupation  he  hated,  and  lift  him  up  to 
the  sphere  where  he  belonged.  Laud  was  "  soar 
ing  after  the  infinite,"  and  so  he  rather  neglected 
the  mundane  and  practical,  and  his  employer  did 
not  consider  him  a  very  desirable  clerk. 

Mr.  Laud  Cavendish  came  with  a  bill  in  his 
hand,  the  footing  of  which  was  the  sum  due  his 
employer  for  certain  necessary  articles  just 
delivered  at  the  kitchen  door  of  the  elegant 
mansion.  Captain  Patterdale  opened  the  tin  box, 
and  took  therefrom  some  twenty  dollars  to  pay 
the  bill,  which  Laud  receipted.  Mr.  Hasbrook 
hoped  he  would  go,  and  that  Don  John  would  go; 
and  perhaps  they  would  have  gone  if  a  rather  ex 
citing  event  had  not  occurred  to  detain  them. 

"Father!  father!"  exclaimed  Miss  Nellie,  rush 
ing  into  the  library. 

"What's  the   matter,  Nellie?"    demanded  her 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  23 

father,  calmly;  for  he  had  long  been  a  sea  captain, 
and  was  used  to  emergencies. 

4 'Michael  has  just  dropped  down  in  a  fit!" 
gasped  Nellie. 

''Where  is  he?" 

"In  the  yard." 

Captain  Patterdale,  followed  by  his  three  visi 
tors,  rushed  through  the  hall,  out  at  the  front 
door,  near  which  the  unfortunate  man  had  fallen, 
and,  with  the  assistance  of  his  companions,  lifted 
him  from  the  ground.  Michael  was  the  hired 
man  who  took  care  of  the  horses,  and  kept  the 
grounds  around  the  elegant  mansion  in  order. 
He  was  raking  the  gravel  walk  near  the  piazza 
where  Nellie  was  laboring  to  keep  cool.  As  we 
have  hinted  before,  and  as  Nellie  and  Don  John 
had  several  times  repeated,  the  day  was  intensely 
hot.  The  sun  where  the  man  worked  was  abso 
lutely  scorching,  and  the  hired  man  had  experi 
enced  a  sun-stroke.  Captain  Patterdale  and  his 
visitors  bore  him  to  his  room  in  the  L,  and  Don 
John  ran  for  the  doctor,  who  appeared  in  less  than 
ten  minutes.  The  visitors  all  did  what  they 
could,  Mr.  Laud  Cavendish  behaving  very  well. 
Michael's  wife  and  other  friends  soon  arrived, 


24  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

and  there  was  nothing  more  for  Laud  to  do.  lie 
went  down  stairs,  and,  finding  Nellie  in  the  hall, 
he  tried  to  comfort  her;  for  she  was  very  much 
concerned  for  poor  Michael. 

"Do  you  think  he  will  die,  Mr.  Cavendish?" 
asked  she,  almost  as  much  moved  as  though  the 
poor  man  had  been  her  father. 

"O,  no!  I  think  he  will  recover.  These  Irish 
men  have  thick  heads,  and  they  don't  die  so 
easily  of  sun-stroke;  for  that's  what  the  doctor 
says  it  is,"  replied  Laud,  knowingly. 

Nellie  thought,  if  this  was  a  true  view  of  coup  de 
soleil,  Laud  would  never  die  of  it.  She  thought 
this;  but  she  was  not  so  impolite  as  to  say  it.  She 
asked  him  no  more  questions;  for  she  saw  Don 
John  approaching  through  the  dining-room. 

"Good  afternoon,  Miss  Patterdale,"  said  Laud, 
with  a  bow  and  a  flourish,  as  he  retired  towards 
the  library,  where  he  had  left  his  hat. 

In  a  few  moments  more,  the  rattle  of  the 
wagon,  with  which  he  delivered  goods  to  the 
customers,  was  heard  as  he  drove  off.  Don  John 
came  into  the  hall,  and  Nellie  asked  him  ever  so 
many  questions  about  the  condition  of  Michael, 
and  what  the  doctor  said  about  him;  all  of 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  25 

which  the  young  man  answered  to  the  best  of  his 
ability. 

"Do  you  think  he  will  die,  Don  John?"  she 
asked. 

"I  am  sure  I  can't  tell,"  replied  Donald;  "I 
hope  not." 

"Michael  is  real  good,  and  I  am  so  sorry  for 
him!"  added  Nellie. 

But  Michael  is  hardly  a  personage  in  our  story, 
and  we  do  not  purpose  to  enter  into  the  diagnosis 
of  his  case.  He  has  our  sympathies  on  the  merit 
of  his  sufferings  alone,  and  quite  as  much  for  Nel 
lie's  sake;  for  it  was  tender,  and  gentle,  and  kind 
in  her  to  feel  so  much  for  a  poor  Irish  laborer. 
While  she  and  Donald  were  talking  about  the 
case,  Mr.  Hasbrook  came  down  stairs,  and  passed 
through  the  hall  into  the  library,  where  he,  also, 
had  left  his  hat.  In  a  few  moments  more  the  rat 
tle  of  his  wagon  was  heard,  as  he  drove  off, indig 
nant  and  disgusted  at  the  indifference  of  the  nabob 
in  refusing  to  take  an  interest  in  his  brilliant  en 
terprise.  He  was  angry  with  himself  for  having 
paid  his  note  before  he  had  enlisted  the  payee  in 
his  cause. 

"How  is  he,  father?"  asked  Nellie,  as  Captain 
Patterdale  entered  the  hall. 


26  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"The  doctor  thinks  he  sees  some  favorable 
symptoms." 

"Will  he  die?" 

"The  doctor  thinks  he  will  get  over  it.  But 
he  wants  some  ice,  and  I  must  get  it  for  him." 

"I  suppose  you  will  not  go  in  the  Sea  Foam 
now?"  asked  Donald. 

"No;  it  is  impossible,"  replied  the  captain, 
as  he  passed  into  the  dining-room  to  the  re 
frigerator. 

The  father  was  like  the  daughter;  and  though 
he  was  a  millionnaire^  or  a  demi-millionnaire — we 
don't  know  which,  for  we  were  never  allowed 
to  look  over  his  taxable  valuation — though  he  was 
a  nabob,  he  took  right  hold,  and  worked  with 
his  own  hands  for  the  comfort  and  the  recovery 
of  the  sufferer.  It  was  creditable  to  his  heart  that 
he  did  so,  and  we  never  grudge  such  a  man  his 
"pile,"  especially  when  he  has  earned  it  by  his 
own  labor,  or  made  it  in  honorable,  legitimate 
business.  The  captain  went  up  stairs  again  with 
a  large  dish  of  ice,  to  assist  the  doctor  in  the 
treatment  of  his  patient. 

Donald  staid  in  the  hall,  talking  with  Miss  Nel 
lie,  as  long  as  he  thought  it  proper  to  do  so,  though 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  27 

not  as  long  as  ho  desired,  and  then  entered  the 
library  where  he,  also,  had  left  his  hat.  Perhaps 
it  was  a  singular  coincidence  that  all  three  of  the 
visitors  had  left  their  hats  in  that  room ;  but  then 
it  was  not  proper  for  them  to  sit  with  their  hats 
on  in  the  presence  of  such  a  magnate  as  Captain 
Patterdale,  and  no  decent  man  would  stop  for  a 
hat  when  a  person  had  fallen  in  a  fit. 

Captain  Patter  dale's  hat  was  still  there  ;  and, 
unluckily,  there  was  something  else  belonging  to 
him  which  was  not  there. 


28  THE  YACHT   CLUB,  OR 


CHAPTER   H. 

ABOUT   THE    TIN   BOX. 

CAPTAIN  PATTERDALE  worked  with  the 
V-^  doctor  for  a  full  hour  upon  poor  Michael, 
who  at  the  end  of  that  time  opened  his  eyes,  and 
soon  declared  that  he  was  "betther  entirely." 
He  insisted  upon  getting  up,  for  it  was  not  "the 
likes  of  himself  that  was  to  lay  there  and  have 
his  honor  workin'  over  him."  But  the  doctor 
and  the  nabob  pacified  him,  and  left  him,  much 
improved,  in  the  care  of  his  wife. 

"How  is  he,  Dr.  Wadman?"  asked  the  sympa 
thizing  Nellie,  as  they  came  down  stairs  together. 

"He  is  decidedly  better,"  replied  the  phy 
sician. 

"Will  he  die?" 

"O,  no;  I  think  not.  His  case  looks  very 
hopeful  now." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  29 

"I  thought  folks  ill  ways  died  with  sunstroke," 
said  Nellie,  more  cheerfully. 

"No;  not  unless  their  heads  are  very  soft," 
laughed  the  doctor. 

"Well,  I  shouldn't  think  Laud  Cavendish  would 
dare  to  go  out  when  the  sun  shines,"  added  the 
fair  girl,  with  a  snap  of  her  bright  eyes. 

"It  isn't  quite  safe  for  him  to  do  so.  Unfortu 
nately,  such  people  don't  know  their  own  heads. 
I  will  come  in  again  after  tea,"  said  the  doctor, 
as  he  went  out  of  the  house,  at  the  front  door; 
for  he  had  not  left  his  hat  in  the  library. 

"I  am  so  glad  Michael  is  better!"  continued 
Nellie.  "When  I  saw  him  drop,  I  felt  as  cold 
as  ice,  and  I  was  afraid  I  should  drop  too  before 
I  could  get  to  the  library." 

"Did  you  see  him  fall,  Nellie?"  asked  her 
father. 

"Yes;  he  gave  a  kind  of  groan,  and  then  fell; 
he  was — " 

"Gracious  !"  exclaimed  Captain  Patterdale,  in 
terrupting  her  all  of  a  sudden. 

He  turned  on  his  heel,  and  walked  rapidly  into 
the  library.  Nellie  was  startled,  and  was  troubled 
with  a  suspicion  that  her  father  had  a  coup 


30  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

de  sokil,  or  coup  de  something-else ;  for  he  did  not 
often  do  anything  by  fits  and  starts.  She  fol 
lowed  him  into  the  library.  It  was  a  fact  that 
the  captain  had  left  his  hat  there ;  but  it  was  not 
for  this  article,  so  necessary  in  a  hot  day,  that 
he  hastened  thus  abruptly  into  the  room.  Nellie 
found  him  flying  around  the  apartment  in  a  high 
state  of  excitement  for  him.  He  was  looking 
anxiously  about,  and  seemed  to  be  very  much 
disturbed. 

"What  in  the  world  is  the  matter,  father?" 
asked  Nellie. 

"Where  is  your  mother?" 

"She  has  gone  over  to  Mrs.  Rodman's." 

"Hasn't  she  been  back?" 

"No,  certainly  not;  I  was  just  going  over  to 
tell  her  what  had  happened  to  Michael,  when  you 
came  down." 

"Who  has  been  in  here,  Nellie?" 

"I  don't  know  that  anybody  has.  I  haven't 
seen  any  one.  What's  the  matter,  father?  what 
in  the  world  has  happened?" 

"I  left  my  tin  box  here  when  I  went  out  to 
see  to  Michael,  and  now  it  is  gone,"  answered 
Captain  Patterdale,  anxiously.  "I  didn't  know 


THE   YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  31 

that  your  mother  had  come  in  and  taken  care 
of  it." 

4 'The  tin  box  gone?"  exclaimed  Nellie. 
"Why,  what  can  have  become  of  it?" 

"That  is  just  what  I  should  like  to  know." 
added  the  captain,  as  he  renewed  his  search  in 
the  room  for  the  treasure  chest. 

It  was  not  in  the  library,  and  then  he  looked 
in  the  great  hall  and  in  the  little  hall,  in  the 
drawing-room,  the  sitting-room,  and  the  dining- 
room;  but  it  was  not  in  any  of  these.  He  knew 
he  had  left  it  on  the  chair  near  where  he  was  sit 
ting  when  he  went  out  of  the  room.  Then  he 
examined  the  spring-lock  on  the  door  of  the 
library  which  led  into  the  side  street.  It  was 
closed  and  securely  fastened.  The  door  shut  it 
self  with  a  patent  invention,  and  when  shut  it 
locked  itself,  so  that  anybody  could  get  out,  but 
no  one  could  get  in  unless  admitted. 

"Where  were  you  when  I  was  up  stairs,  Nel 
lie?"  asked  Captain  Patterdale,  as  he  seated 
himself  in  his  arm-chair,  to  take  a  cool  view  of 
the  whole  subject. 

"I  was  in  the  hall  most  of  the  time,"  she  re. 
plied. 


32  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"Who  has  been  in  the  library?" 

"Let  me  see;  Laud  Cavendish  came  down 
first,  and  went  out  through  the  library." 

The  captain  rubbed  his  bald  head,  and  seemed 
to  be  asking  himself  whether  it  was  possible  for 
Mr.  Laud  Cavendish  to  do  so  wicked  a  deed  as 
stealing  that  tin  box.  He  did  not  believe  the 
young  swell  had  the  baseness  or  the  daring  to 
commit  so  great  a  crime.  It  might  be,  but  he 
could  not  think  so. 

"TVrho  else  has  been  in  here?"  he  inquired, 
when  he  had  hastily  considered  all  he  knew  about 
the  moral  character  of  Laud. 

"That  other  man  who  was  with  you — I  don't 
know  his  name — the  one  that  was  here  when  I 
came  in  with  Don  John." 

"Mr.  Hasbrook." 

"He  went  out  through  the  library.  I  thought 
he  looked  real  ugly  too,"  added  Nellie.  "He 
kept  fidgeting  about  all  the  time  I  was  here." 

"And  all  the  time  he  was  here  himself.  He 
went  out  through  the  library — did  he?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

Captain  Patterdale  mentally  overhauled  the 
character  of  Mr.  Hasbrook.  It  was  unfortunate 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDEU.  33 

for  his  late  debtor  that  his  character  was  not  first 
class,  and  between  him  and  Laud  Cavendish  the 
probabilities  were  altogether  against  Hasbrook. 
He  had  evidently  been  vexed  and  angry  because 
he  failed  to  carry  his  point,  and  his  cupidity 
might  have  been  stimulated  by  revenge.  But  the 
captain  was  a  fair  and  just  man,  and  in  a  matter  of 
this  kind,  involving  the  reputation  of  any  person, 
he  kept  his  suspicions  to  himself. 

"Who  else  has  been  in  the  library,  Nellie?" 
he  asked. 

"No  one  but  Don  John,"  replied  she.  And 
whatever  Laud  or  Hasbrook  might  have  done  in 
wickedness,  Nellie  had  too  much  regard  for  her 
friend  and  schoolmate  to  admit  for  one  instant  the 
possibility  of  his  doing  anything  wrong,  much  less 
his  committing  sp  gross  a  crime  as  the  stealing 
of  the  tin  box  and  its  valuable  contents. 

Captain  Patterdale  was  hardly  less  confident  of 
the  integrity  of  Donald.  Certainly  it  was  not 
necessary  to  suspect  him  when  the  possibilities  of 
guilt  included  two  such  persons  as  Laud  and  Has 
brook.  Donald  was  rather  distinguished,  in  school 
and  out,  as  a  good  boy,  and  he  ought  to  have  the 
full  benefit  of  his  reputation. 
3 


34  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"You  don't  think  Don  John  took  the  box — do 
you,  father?"  asked  Nellie,  as  her  father  was  med 
itating  011  the  circumstances. 

"Certainly  not,  Nellie,"  protested  the  captain, 
warmly;  "I  don't  know  that  anybody  has  taken 
it." 

"I  know  Don  John  would  not  do  such  a 
thing." 

"I  don't  believe  he  would." 

"I  know  he  would  not." 

Her  father  thought  she  was  just  a  little  more 
earnest  in  her  uncalled-for  defence  of  the  young 
man  than  was  necessary,  and  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  it  occurred  to  him  that  she  was  more  in 
terested  in  him  than  he  wished  her  to  be;  for, 
as  Donald  was  only  the  son  of  a  poor  boat-builder, 
such  a  strong  friendship  might  be  embarrassing 
in  the  future.  However,  this  was  only  the  shadow 
of  a  passing  thought,  which  divided  his  attention 
only  for  a  moment.  The  loss  of  the  tin  box  was 
the  question  of  the  hour,  and  "society"  topics 
were  not  just  then  in  order. 

"I  have  no  idea  that  Don  John  took  the  box," 
replied  Captain  Patterdale.  "I  am  more  willing 
to  believe  either  of  the  other  two  who  were  in  the 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  35 

library  took  it  than  that  he  did.  But  he  was  the 
last  of  the  three  who  went  out  through  this  room. 
He  may  be  able  to  give  me  some  information,  and 
I  will  go  down  and  see  him.  He  and  his  father 
were  going  off  in  the  new  yacht — were  they  not?" 

44 Yes,  sir." 

"You  need  not  say  a  word  about  the  box  to 
any  one,  Nellie,  nor  even  that  it  is  lost,"  added 
the  captain.  "If  I  do  not  find  it,  I  shall  employ  a 
skilful  detective  to  look  it  up,  and  he  may  prefer 
to  work  in  the  dark." 

"I  will  not  mention  it,  father,"  replied  Nellie. 
"What  was  in  the  box?  Was  it  money?" 

"I  put  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  into 
it,  but  I  took  out  twenty  to  pay  the  bill  that  Laud 
brought.  It  contains  my  deeds,  leases,  policies 
of  insurance,  and  my  notes,  and  these  papers 
are  really  more  valuable  to  me  than  the  money. 
Luckily,  my  bonds  and  securities  are  in  another 
box,  in  the  vault  of  the  bank." 

"Then  you  will  lose  over  thirteen  hundred 
dollars  if  you  don't  find  the  box?" 

"More  than  that,  I  am  afraid,  for  I  shall 
hardly  be  able  to  collect  all  the  money  due  on  the 
notes  if  I  lose  them,"  replied  the  captain,  as  ho 
left  the  house. 


36  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

He  walked  down  to  the  boat  shop  of  Mr.  Ram 
say.  It  was  on  the  shore,  and  near  it  was  the 
house  in  which  the  boat-builder  lived.  Neither 
Don  John  nor  his  father  was  at  the  shop,  but  a 
sloop  yacht,  half  a  mile  out  in  the  bay,  seemed  to 
be  the  Sea  Foam.  She  was  headed  towards  the 
shore,  however,  and  Captain  Patterdale  seated 
himself  in  the  shade  of  the  shop  to  await  its 
arrival,  though  he  hardly  expected  to  obtain  any 
information  in  regard  to  the  box  from  Donald. 
While  he  was  sitting  there,  Mr.  Laud  Cavendish 
appeared  with  a  large  basket  in  his  hand.  The 
counter-jumper  started  when  he  turned  the  corner 
of  the  shop,  and  saw  the  nabob  seated  there. 

"Going  a-fishing?"  asked  the  captain. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  'm  going  over  to  Turtle  Head  to 
camp  out  over  Sunday,"  replied  Laud.  "How  is 
Michael,  sir?" 

"He  is  much  better,  and  is  doing  very  well." 

"I'm  glad  of  it,"  added  Laud,  as  he  carried 
his  basket  down  to  a  sail-boat  which  was  partly 
aground,  and  deposited  it  in  the  forward  cuddy. 

Captain  Patterdale  wanted  to  talk  with  Laud, 
but  he  did  not  like  to  excite  any  suspicions  on  his 
part.  If  the  young  man  had  taken  the  box  he 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  37 

would  not  be  likely  to  go  off  on  an  island  to  stay 
over  Sunday.  Besides,  it  was  evident  from  the 
position  of  the  boat,  and  the  fact  that  it  con 
tained  several  articles  necessary  for  a  fishing  ex 
cursion,  in  addition  to  those  in  the  basket,  that 
Laud  had  made  his  arrangements  for  the  trip  be 
fore  he  visited  the  library  of  the  elegant  mansion. 
If  he  had  taken  the  box,  he  would  probably  have 
changed  his  plans.  It  was  not  likely,  therefore, 
that  Laud  was  the  guilty  party. 

"Arc  you  going  alone?"  asked  the  captain, 
walking  down  the  beach  to  the  boat. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  couldn't  get  any  one  to  go  with 
me.  I  tried  Don  John,but  he  won't  go  off  to  stay 
over  Sunday,"  replied  Laud,  with  a  sickly  grin. 

"I  commend  his  example  to  you.  I  don't 
think  it  is  a  good  way  to  spend  Sunday." 

"It's  the  only  time  I  can  get  to  go.  I've  been 
trying  to  get  off  for  a  month." 

"Saturday  must  be  a  bad  time  for  you  to 
leave,"  suggested  the  captain. 

"It  is  rather  bad,"  added  Laud,  as  he  shoved 
off  the  bow  of  the  boat,  for  he  seemed  to  be  in 
haste  to  get  away. 

"By  the  way,  Laud,  did  you  notice  a  tin  box 


38  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

in  my  library  when  you  were  there  this  after* 
noon?"  asked  the  nabob,  with  as  much  indiffer 
ence  in  his  manner  and  tone  as  he  could  command. 

"A  tin  box?"  repeated  Laud,  busying  himself 
with  the  jib  of  the  sail-boat. 

"Yes;  it  was  painted  green." 

"I  don't  remember  any  box,"  answered  Laud. 

"Didn't  you  see  it?  I  opened  it  to  take  out 
the  money  I  paid  you." 

"I  didn't  mind.  I  was  receipting  the  bill 
while  you  were  getting  the  money  ready.  You 
know  I  sat  down  at  your  desk." 

"Yes;  I  know  you  did;  but  didn't  you  see  the 
box?" 

"No,  sir;  I  don't  remember  seeing  any  box," 
said  Laud,  still  fussing  over  the  sail,  which  cer 
tainly  did  not  need  any  attention. 

"You  went  out  through  the  library  when  you 
came  down  from  Michael's  room — didn't  you?" 
continued  the  captain. 

"Yes,  sir;    I  did.     I  left  my  hat  in  there." 

"Did  you  see  the  box  then?" 

"Of  course  I  didn't.  If  I  had,  I  should  have 
remembered  it,"  replied  Laud,  with  a  grin.  "I 
just  grabbed  my  hat,  and  ran,  for  I  had  been 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  39 

in  the  house  some  time ;  and  I  got  a  blessing  for 
being  away  so  long  when  I  went  back  to  the 
store." 

"You  didn't  see  the  box, then?" 

"If  it  was  there,  I  suppose  I  saw  it;  but  I 
didn't  take  any  notice  of  it.  Why?  is  the  box 
lost?" 

"I  want  to  get  another  like  it.  Haven't  you 
anything  of  the  sort  in  the  store?" 

"We  have  some  cake  and  spice  boxes.  They 
are  tin,  and  painted  on  the  outside." 

"Those  will  not  answer  the  purpose.  It's  a 
very  hot  day,"  added  the  captain,  as  he  wiped 
the  perspiration  from  his  face,  and  walked  back 
to  the  shade  of  the  shop. 

Mr.  Laud  Cavendish  stepped  into  the  sail-boat, 
hoisted  the  sails,  and  shoved  her  off  into  deep 
water  with  an  oar.  Captain  Patterdale  thought, 
and  then  he  did  not  know  what  to  think.  Was 
it  possible  Laud  had  not  noticed  that  tin  box, 
which  had, been  on  a  chair  out  in  the  middle  of 
the  room?  If  he  had  not,  why,  then  he  had  not; 
but  if  he  had  Laud  had  more  cunning,  more  self- 
control,  and  more  ingenuity  than  the  captain  had 
ever  given  him  the  credit,  or  the  discredit,  of  pos- 


40  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

sessing,  for  there  was  certainly  no  sign  of  guilt  in 
his  tone  or  his  manner,  except  that  he  did  not  look 
the  inquirer  square  in  the  face  when  he  answered 
his  questions,  though  some  guilty  people  can  even 
do  this  without  wincing. 

Captain  Patterdale  watched  the  departing  and 
the  approaching  boats,  still  considering  the  pos^ 
sible  relation  of  Laud  Cavendish  to  the  tin  box. 
If  the  fellow  had  stolen  it,  he  would  not  go  off 
on  an  island  to  stay  over  Sunday,  leaving  the  box 
behind  to  betray  him  ;  and  this  argument  seemed 
to  be  conclusive  in  his  favor.  The  captain  had 
looked  into  the  boat,  and  satisfied  himself  that 
the  box  was  not  there ;  unless  it  was  in  the  bas 
ket,  w^hich  appeared  to  contain  so  many  other 
things  that  there  w^as  no  room  for  it.  On  the 
whole,  the  captain  was  willing  to  acquit  Mr. 
Laud  Cavendish  of  the  act,  partly,  perhaps,  be 
cause  this  had  been  his  first  view  of  the  matter. 
It  was  more  probable  that  Hasbrook,  angry  and 
disappointed  at  his  failure,  had  put  the  box  into 
his  wagon,  and  returned  to  the  neighboring  town, 
where,  as  before  stated,  his  reputation  was  not 
first  class,  though,  perhaps,  not  many  people  be 
lieved  him  capable  of  stealing  outright,  without 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  41 

the  formality  of  getting  up  a  mining  company, 
or  making  a  trade  of  some  sort.  But  Donald  had 
been  the  last  of  the  trio  of  visitors  who  passed 
through  the  library,  and  the  captain  wanted  to 
see  him. 

The  Sea  Foam,  with  snowy  sails  just  from  the 
loft,  and  glittering  in  her  freshly-laid  coat  of 
white  paint,  ran  up  to  a  wharf  just  below  the  boat 
shop.  Donald  was  at  the  helm,  and  he  threw 
her  up  into  the  wind  just  before  she  came  to  the 
pier,  so  that  when  she  forged  ahead,  with  her  sails 
shaking  in  the  wind,  her  head  came  up  within 
a  few  inches  of  the  landing-place.  Mr.  Eamsay 
fended  her  off,  and  went  ashore  with  a  line  in 
his  hand,  which  he  made  fast  to  a  ring.  Captain 
Patterdale  walked  around  to  the  wharf,  as  soon  as 
he  saw  where  she  was  to  make  a  landing. 

"Well,  how  do  you  like  her,  Sam?"  said  Don 
ald  to  a  young  man  of  his  own  age  in  the  stand 
ing-room  with  him. 

"First  rate  ;  and  I  hope  your  father  will  go  to 
work  on  mine  at  once,"  replied  the  passenger. 

"You  will  lay  down  the  keel  on  Monday — 
won't  you,  father?" 

"What?"  asked  Mr.  Kamsay,  who  had  seated 
himself  on  a  log  on  the  wharf. 


42  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

44  You  will  lay  down  the  keel  of  the  boat  for 
Mr.  Rodman  on  Monday — won't  you?"  repeated 
Donald. 

"Yes,  if  I  am  able;  I  don't  feel  very  well  to 
day."  And  the  boat-builder  doubled  himself  up, 
as  though  he  was  in  great  pain. 

The  young  man  in  the  standing-room  of  the 
Sea  Foam  was  Samuel  Rodman,  a  schoolmate  of 
Donald,  whose  father  was  a  wealthy  man,  and 
had  ordered  another  boat  like  the  Skylark,  which 
had  been  the  model  for  the  new  yacht.  He  had 
come  down  to  see  the  craft,  and  had  been  in 
vited  to  take  a  sail  in  her ;  but  an  engagement 
had  prevented  him  from  going  as  far  as  Turtle 
Head,  and  the  boat-builder  and  his  son  had  re 
turned  to  land  him,  intending  still  to  make  the 
trip.  By  this  time  Captain  Patterdale  had  reached 
the  end  of  the  wharf.  He  went  on  board  of  the 
Sea  Foam,  and  looked  her  over  with  a  critical 
eye,  and  was  entirely  satisfied  with  her.  He  was 
invited  to  sail  in  her  for  as  short  a  time  as  he 
chose,  but  he  declined. 

"By  the  way,  Donald,  did  you  see  the  green 
tin  box  when  you  were  in  my  library  this  after 
noon?"  he  asked,  when  all  the  topics  relating  to 
the  yacht  had  been  disposed  of. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  43 

"Yes,  sir;  I  saw  you  take  some  money  from 
it,"  replied  Donald. 

"Then  you  remember  the  box?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Did  you  notice  it  when  you  came  out — I  mean, 
when  you  left  the  house?" 

"I  don't  remember  seeing  it  when  I  came  out," 
answered  Donald,  wondering  what  these  questions 
meant. 

"I  want  to  get  another  box  just  like  that  one. 
Did  you  take  particular  notice  of  it?" 

"No,  sir  ;    I  can't  say  I  did." 

"You  didn't  stay  any  time  in  the  library  after 
you  came  down  from  Michael's  room, did  you?" 

"No,  sir;  I  only  went  for  my  hat,  and  didn't 
stay  there  a  minute." 

"And  you  didn't  notice  the  tin  box?" 

"No,  sir;  I  didn't  see  it  at  all  when  I  came 
out." 

"Then  of  course  you  didn't  see  any  marks  upon 
it,"  added  the  captain,  with  a  smile. 

"If  I  didn't  see  the  box,  I  shouldn't  have 
been  likely  to  see  the  marks,"  laughed  Donald. 
"What  marks  were  they,  sir?" 

"It's  of  no  consequence,  if  you  didn't  see  them. 


44  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

The  box  was  iu  the  library — wasu  't  it  ? — when  you 
went  out. " 

"I  don't  know  whether  it  was  or  not.  I  only 
know  that  I  don't  remember  noticing  it,  "said 
Donald,  who  thought  the  captain's  question  was 
a  very  queer  one,  after  those  he  had  just  answered. 

The  nabob  was  no  better  satisfied  with  Donald's 
answers  than  he  had  been  with  those  of  Laud 
Cavendish,  except  that  the  former  looked  him  full 
in  the  face  when  he  spoke.  He  obtained  no 
information,  and  went  home  to  seek  it  at  other 
sources. 

"I  think  I  won't  go  out  again,  Donald,"  said 
Mr.  Ramsay,  when  Captain  Patterdale  had  left.  "I 
don't  feel  very  well,  and  you  may  go  alone.  " 

"Do  you  feel  very  sick,  father?"  asked  the  son, 
in  tones  of  sympathy. 

"No ;  but  I  think  I  will  go  into  the  house  and 
take  some  medicine.  You  can  run  over  to  Turtle 
Head  alone, "  added  the  boat-builder,  as  he  walked 
towards  the  house. 

"Can't  you  go  any  how,  Sam?"  said  Donald, 
turning  to  his  friend. 

"No,  I  must  go  home  now.    I  have  to  drive  over 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDEK.  45 

to   Searsport  after  my  sister,"  replied  Sam,  as  ho 
left  the  yacht,  and  walked  up  the  wharf. 

Donald  hoisted  the  jib  of  the  Sea  Foam,  shoved 
off  her  head,  and  laid  her  course,  with  the  wind 
over  the  quarter,  for  Turtle  Head — distant  about 
seven  miles. 


46  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OB 


CHAPTER  HI. 

THE    YACHT    CLUB    AT    TURTLE   HEAD. 

THE  Sea  Foam  was  a  sloop  yacht,  thirty  feet  in 
length,  and  as  handsome  as  a  picture  in  an 
illustrated  paper,  than  which  nothing  could  be 
finer.  It  was  a  fact  that  she  had  cost  twelve  hun 
dred  dollars ;  but  even  this  sum  was  cheaper  than 
she  could  have  been  built  and  fitted  up  in  Boston 
or  Bristol.  She  was  provided  with  everything 
required  by  a  first  class  yacht  of  her  size,  both  for 
the  comfort  and  safety  of  the  voyager,  as  well 
as  for  fast  sailing.  Though  Mr.  Ramsay,  her 
builder,  was  a  ship  carpenter,  he  was  a  very  intel 
ligent  and  well-read  man.  He  had  made  yachts  a 
specialty,  and  devoted  a  great  deal  of  study  to 
the  subject.  He  had  examined  the  fastest  craft  in 
New  York  and  Newport,  and  had  their  lines  in  his 
head.  And  he  was  a  very  ingenious  man,  so  that 
he  had  the  tact  to  make  the  most  of  small  spaces, 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  47 

and  to  economize  every  spare  inch  in  lockers, 
closets,  and  stow-holes  for  the  numerous  articles 
required  in  a  pleasure  craft.  He  had  learned  his 
trade  as  a  ship  carpenter  and  joiner  in  Scotland, 
where  the  mechanic's  education  is  much  more 
thorough  than  in  our  own  country,  and  he  was  an 
excellent  workman. 

The  cabin  of  the  Sea  Foam  was  about  twelve 
feet  long,  with  transoms  on  each  side,  which  were 
used  both  as  berths  and  sofas.  They  were  sup 
plied  with  cushions  covered  with  Brussels  carpet, 
with  a  pillow  of  the  same  material  at  each  end. 
Through  the  middle,  fore  and  aft,  was  the  centre 
board  casing,  on  each  side  of  which  was  a  table 
on  hinges,  so  that  it  could  be  dropped  down 
when  not  in  use.  The  only  possible  objection  to 
this  cabin,  in  the  mind  of  a  shoreman,  would  have 
been  its  lack  of  height.  It  was  necessarily  "low 
studded,"  being  only  five  feet  from  floor  to  ceil 
ing,  which  was  rather  trying  to  the  perpendicular 
ity  of  a  six-footer.  But  it  was  a  very  comfortable 
cabin  for  all  that,  though  tall  men  were  compelled 
to  be  humble  within  its  low  limits. 

It  was  entered  from  the  standing-room  by  a 
single  step  covered  with  plate  brass,  in  which  the 


48  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

name  of  the  yacht  was  wrought  with  bright  copper 
nails.  On  each  side  of  the  companion-way  was  a 
closet,  one  of  which  was  for  dishes,  and  the  other 
for  miscellaneous  stores.  The  trunk,  which  read 
ers  away  from  beatable  waters  may  need  to  be 
informed  is  an  elevation  about  a  foot  above  the 
main  deck,  to  afford  head-room  in  the  middle  of 
the  cabin,  had  three  deck  lights,  or  ports,  on 
each  side.  At  one  end  of  the  casing  of  the  centre 
board  was  a  place  for  the  water- jar,  and  a  rack 
for  tumblers.  In  the  middle  were  hooks  in  the 
trunk-beams  for  the  caster  and  the  lantern.  The 
brass-covered  step  at  the  entrance  was  movable, 
and  when  it  was  drawn  out  it  left  an  opening  into 
the  run  under  the  standing-room,  where  a  consid 
erable  space  was  available  for  use.  In  the  centre 
of  it  was  the  ice-chest,  a  box  two  feet  square, 
lined  with  zinc,  which  was  rigged  on  little 
grooved  wheels  running  on  iron  rods,  like  a 
railroad  car,  so  that  the  chest  could  be  drawn 
forward  where  the  contents  could  be  reached. 
On  each  side  of  this  box  was  a  water-tank,  hold 
ing  thirty  gallons,  which  could  be  filled  from  the 
standing-room.  The  water  was  drawn  by  a  faucet 
lower  than  the  bottom  of  the  tank  in  a  recess  at 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  49 

one  side  of  the  companion-way.  The  tanks  were 
connected  by  a  pipe,  so  that  the  water  was  drawn 
from  both.  At  the  side  of  the  step  was  a  gauge 
to  indicate  the  supply  of  fresh  water  on  board. 

Forward  of  the  cabin,  in  the  bow  of  the  yacht, 
was  the  cook-room,  Avith  a  scuttle  opening  into  it 
from  the  forecastle.  The  stove,  a  miniature  af 
fair,  with  an  oven  large  enough  to  roast  an  eight- 
pound  rib  of  beef,  and  two  holes  on  the  top,  was 
in  the  fore  peak.  It  was  placed  in  a  shallow  pan 
filled  with  sand,  and  the  wood-work  was  covered 
with  sheet  tin,  to  guard  against  fire.  Behind  the 
stove  was  a  fuel-bin.  On  each  side  of  the  cook 
room  was  a  shelf  eighteen  inches  wide  at  the 
bulk-head  and  tapering  forward  to  nothing.  Un 
der  it  were  several  lockers  for  the  galley  utensils 
and  small  stores.  The  room  was  only  four  feet 
high,  and  a  tall  cook  in  the  Sea  Foam  would 
have  found  it  necessary  to  discount  himself.  On 
the  foremast  was  a  scat  on  a  hinge,  which  could 
be  dropped  down,  on  which  the  "doctor"  could  sit 
and  do  his  work,  roasting  himself  at  the  same 
time  he  roasted  his  beef  or  fried  his  fish.  Every 
thing  in  the  cook-room  and  the  cabin,  as  well  as 
on  deck,  was  neat  and  nice.  The  cabin  was  cov- 
4 


50  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

ered  with  a  handsome  oil-cloth  carpet,  and  the 
wood  was  white  with  zinc  paint,  varnished,  with 
gilt  moulding  to  ornament  it.  Edward  Patter-* 
dale,  who  was  to  be  the  nominal  owner  and  the 
real  skipper  of  this  beautiful  craft,  intended  to 
have  several  framed  pictures  on  the  spaces  be 
tween  the  deck  lights,  a  clock  in  the  forward  end 
over  the  cook-room  door,  and  brass  brackets  for 
the  spy-glass  in  the  companion- way. 

On  deck  the  Sea  Foam  was  as  well  appointed 
as  she  was  below.  Her  bowsprit  had  a  gentle 
downward  curve,  her  mast  was  a  beautiful  spar, 
and  her  topmast  was  elegantly  tapered  and  set 
up  in  good  shape.  Unlike  most  of  the  regular 
highflyer  yachts,  her  jib  and  main-sail  were 
not  unreasonably  large.  Mr.  Ramsay  did  not  in 
tend  that  it  should  be  necessary  to  reef  when  it 
blew  a  twelve-knot  breeze,  and,  like  the  Skylark, 
she  was  expected  to  carry  all  sail  in  anything 
short  of  a  full  gale.  But  she  was  provided  with 
an  abundance  of  " kites,"  including  an  immense 
gaff-topsail,  which  extended  on  poles  far  above 
the  topmast  head,  and  far  beyond  the  peak,  a 
balloon-jib,  a  jib-topsail,  and  a  three-cornered 
studding-sail.  The  balloon- jib,  or  the  jib-topsail, 


THE    YOUXG    BOAT-BUILDER.  51 

was  bent  on  with  snap-hooks  when  it  was  needed, 
for  only  one  was  used  at  the  same  time.  These 
extra  sails  were  to  be  required  only  in  races,  and 
they  were  kept  on  shore.  One  stout  hand  could 
manage  her  yery  well,  though  two  made  it  easier 
work,  and  six  were  allowed  in  a  race. 

Donald  seated  himself  in  the  standing-room, 
with  the  tiller  in  his  right  hand.  As  soon  as  he  had 
run  out  a  little  way,  his  attention  was  excited  by 
discovering  three  other  sloop  yachts  coming  down 
the  bay.  In  one  of  them  he  recognized  the  Sky 
lark,  and  in  another  the  Christabel,  while  the  third 
was  a  stranger  to  him,  though  he  had  heard  of  the 
arrival  that  day  of  a  new  yacht  from  Newport, 
and  concluded  this  was  she.  He  let  off  his  sheet, 
and  ran  up  to  meet  the  little  fleet. 

"Sloop,  ahoy ! ' '  shouted  Robert  Montague,  from 
the  Skylark,  as  Donald  came  within  hailing  dis 
tance. 

"On  board  the  Skylark!"  replied  tha  skipper 
of  the  Sea  Foam. 

"Is  that  you,  Don  John?" 

"Ay,  ay." 

"What  sloop  is  that?"  demanded  Robert. 

"The  Sea  Foam." 


52  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"Where  bound?" 

"Over  to  Turtle  Head." 

"We  are  bound  there;  come  with  us." 

"Ay  ay." 

"Hold  on  a  minute,  Don  John,"  shouted  some 
one  from  the  Christabel. 

Each  of  the  yachts  had  a  tender  towing  astern, 
and  that  from  the  Christabel,  with  five  boys  in  it, 
immediately  put  off,  and  pulled  to  the  Sea  Foam. 

"Will  you  take  us  on  board,  Don  John?" 
asked  Gus  Barker,  as  the  tender  came  alongside. 

"Certainly;  I'm  glad  to  have  your  company," 
replied  Donald,  who  had  thrown  the  yacht  up 
into  the  wind. 

Three  of  the  party  in  Jhe  tender  jumped  upon 
the  deck  of  the  Sea  Foam,  and  the  boat  returned 
to  the  Christabel.  Each  of  the  yachts  appeared 
to  have  half  a  dozen  or  more  on  board  of  her,  so 
that  there  was  quite  a  party  on  the  way  to  Turtle 
Head.  The  sloops  filled  away  again,  the  Skylark 
and  the  new  arrival  having  taken  the  lead,  while 
the  other  two  were  delayed. 

"What  sloop  is  that  with  the  Skylark?"  asked 
Donald. 

"That's  the  Phantom.    She  got  here  from  New- 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDEK.  53 

port  this  forenoon.  Joe  Guilford's  father  bought 
her  for  him.  She  is  the  twin  sister  of  the  Skylark, 
and  they  seem  to  make  an  even  thing  of  it  in  sail 
ing,"  replied  Gus  Barker. 

"You  have  quite  a  fleet  now, "  added  Donald. 

"Yes;  and  we  are  going  to  form  a  Yacht  Club. 
We  intend  to  have  a  meeting  over  at  Turtle  Head. 
Will  you  join,  Don  John?" 

"I  haven't  any  boat." 

"Nor  I,  either.  All  the  members  can't  be  skip 
pers,"  laughed  Gus.  "I  am  to  be  mate  of  the  Sea 
Foam,  and  that's  the  reason  I  wanted  to  come  on 
board  of  her. ' ' 

"And  I  am  to  be  one  of  her  crew,"  added 
Dick  Adams. 

"And  I  the  steward,"  laughed  Ben  Johnson. 
"I  am  Cfoinsf  down  into  the  cook-room  to  see 

o         o 

how  things  look  there.' ' 

"You  will  join — won't  you,  Don?' ' 
"Well,   I  don't  know.     I  can't   afford  to  run 
with  you  fellows  with  rich  fathers." 

"O,  get  out!  That  don't  make  any  difference, " 
puffed  Gus.  "The  owner  of  the  yacht  has  to  foot 
the  bills.  Besides,  we  want  you,  Don  John,  for 
you  know  more  about  a  bout  than  all  the  rest  of 
the  fellows  put  together." 


54  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

"Well,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do  anything  I 
can  to  help  the  thing  along ;  but  there  are  plenty 
of  fellows  that  can  sail  a  boat  better  than  I  can. ' ' 

"But  you  know  all  about  a  boat,  and  they  want 
you  for  measurer.  We  have  the  printed  constitu 
tion  of  a  Yacht  Club,  which  Bob  Montague  got  in 
Boston,  and  according  to  that  the  measurer  is  enti 
tled  to  ten  cents  a  foot  for  measuring  a  yacht; 
so  you  may  make  something  out  of  your  office." 

"I  don't  want  to  make  any  money  out  of  it," 
protested  Donald. 

"You  can  make  enough  to  pay  your  dues,  for 
we  have  to  raise  some  money  for  prizes  in  the 
regattas;  and  we  talk  of  having  a  club  house 
over  on  Turtle  Head,"  rattled  Gns,  whose  tongue 
seemed  to  be  hung  on  a  pivot  in  his  enthusiasm 
over  the  club.  "Every  fellow  must  be  voted  in, 
and  pay  five  dollars  a  year  for  membership.  We 
shall  have  some  big  times. — We  are  gaining  on 
the  Skylark,  as  true  as  you  live!" 

"I  think  we  are;  but  I  guess  Bob  isn't  driving 
her,"  added  Donald. 

"She  carries  the  same  sail  as  the  Sea  Foam.  1 
would  give  anything  to  beat  her.  Make  her  do 
her  best,  Don  John.  " 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  55 

"I  will,"  laughed  the  skipper,  who  had  kept 
one  eye  on  the  Skylark  all  the  time. 

He  trimmed  the  sails  a  little,  and  began  to  be 
somewhat  excited  over  the  prospect  of  a  race. 
The  Christabel  was  three  feet  longer  than  the 
other  yachts,  and  it  was  soon  evident  that  in  a 
light  wind  she  was  more  than  a  match  for  them, 
for  she  ran  ahead  of  the  Sea  Foam.  Her  jib  and 
mainsail  were  much  larger  in  proportion  to  her 
size  than  those  of  the  other  sloops,  but  she  was 
not  an  able  boat,  not  a  heavy -weather  craft,  like 
them.  The  Sea  Foam  continued  to  gain  on  the 
Skylark,  till  she  was  abreast  of  her,  while  the 
Phantom  kept  about  even  with  her.  But  then 
Robert  Montague  was  busy  all  the  time  talking 
with  his  companions  about  the  Yacht  Club,  and 
did  not  pay  particular  attention  to  the  sailing  of 
his  boat.  The  Sea  Foam  began  to  walk  ahead 
of  him,  and  then,  for  the  first  time,  it  dawned 
upon  him  that  the  reputation  of  the  Skylark  was 
at  stake.  He  had  his  crew  of  five  with  him,  and 
he  placed  them  in  position  to  improve  the  sailing 
of  his  craft.  He  ordered  one  of  his  hands  to  give  a 
small  pull  on  the  jib-sheet,  another  to  let  off  the 
main  sheet  a  little,  and  a  third  to  haul  up  the 


56  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

centre-board  a  little  more,  as  she  was  going 
free. 

The  effect  of  this  attention  on  the  part  of  the 
skipper  of  the  Skylark  was  to  lessen  the  distance 
between  her  and  the  Sea  Foam ;  they  were  abeam 
of  each  other,  with  the  Phantom  in  the  same  line. 
The  Christabel  was  about  a  cable 's  length  ahead 
of  them. 

"She's  game  yet,"  said  Gus  Barker,  his  dis 
appointment  evident  in  the  tones  of  his  voice,  as 
the  Skylark  came  up  to  the  Sea  Foam. 

"This  is  a  new  boat,  and  I  haven't  got  the 
hang  of  her  yet,"  Donald  explained.  "Haul  up 
that  fin  a  little,  Dick." 

"What  fin?" 

"The  centre-board." 

"Ay,  ay,' '  replied  Dick,  as  he  obeyed  the  order. 

"Steady!  that's  enough,"  continued  Donald, 
who  now  narrowly  watched  the  sailing  of  the 
Sea  Foam,  to  assure  himself  that  she  did  not  make 
too  much  leeway. 

"That  was  what  she  wanted!"  exclaimed  Gus, 
when  the  yacht  began  to  gain  again,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  was  half  a  length  ahead. 

"But  not  quite  so  much  of  it,"  replied  Donald, 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  57 

when  he  saw  that  his  craft  was  sliding  off  a  very 
little.  "Give  her  just  three  inches  more  fin, 
Dick." 

The  centre-board  was  dropped  this  distance,  and 
the  tendency  to  make  leeway  thus  corrected. 

"She  is  gaining  still!  "  cried  Gus,  delighted. 

"Not  much;  it  is  a  pretty  even  thing,"  added 
Donald. 

"No  matter;  we  beat  her,  and  I  don't  care  if 
it's  only  half  an  inch  in  a  mile." 

"But  the  Christabel  is  leading  us  all.  She  is 
sure  of  all  the  first  prizes." 

"Not  a  bit  of  it.  She  has  to  reef  when  there's 
a  capful  of  wind  In  a  calm  she  will  beat  us,  but 
when  it  blows  we  shall  wax  her  all  to  pieces." 

"Hallo!"  shouted  Mr.  Laud  Cavendish,  whose 
small  sail-boat  was  overhauled  about  half  way 
over  to  Turtle  Head.  "Is  that  you,  Don  John?" 

"I  believe  so,"  replied  Donald. 

"Where  you  going?" 

"Over  to  Turtle  Head.  AVant  us  to  give  you 
a  tow?" 

"No;  you  needn't  brag  about   your   old   tub. 
She  don't  belong  to  you;   and  I'm  going  to  have 
a  boat  that  will  beat  that  one  all  to  snlintore  ' 
replied  Laud. 


58  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

"All  right;  fetch  her  along." 

< 'I  say,  Don  John,  I'm  going  to  stop  over 
Sunday  on  Turtle  Head.  Won't  you  stay  with 
me?" 

"No,  I  thank  you.  I  must  go  home  to-night," 
answered  Donald. 

Mr.  Laud  Cavendish  knew  very  well  that  Don 
ald  would  not  spend  Sunday  in  boating  and  fish 
ing;  and  he  did  not  ask  because  he  wanted  him. 
Besides,  for  more  reasons  than  one,  he  did  not 
desire  his  company.  The  Sea  Foam  ran  out  of 
talking  distance  of  the  sail-boat  in  a  moment. 
Robert  Montague  was  doing  his  best  to  keep  up 
the  reputation  of  the  Skylark;  but  when  the  fleet 
came  up  to  Turtle  Head,  she  was  more  than  a 
length  behind.  The  jib  was  hauled  down,  the 
yachts  came  up  into  the  wind,  and  the  anchors 
were  let  go. 

"Beat  you,"  shouted  Gus  Barker. 

"Not  much,"  replied  Robert.  "We  will  try 
that  over  again  some  time." 


"We  are  willing,"  added  Donald. 


The  mainsails  were  lowered,  and  the  young 
yachtmeii  embarked  in  the  tenders  for  the  shore. 
Turtle  Head  is  a  rocky  point  at  the  northern 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  59 

extremity  of  Long  Island,  in  Penobscot  Bay. 
There  were  a  few  trees  near  the  shore,  and  under 
these  the  party  purposed  to  hold  their  meeting. 
Though  the  weather  was  intensely  hot  on  shore, 
it  was  comfortably  cool  at  the  Head,  where  the 
wind  came  over  five  or  six  miles  of  salt  water 
cool  from  the  ocean.  The  boys  leaped  ashore, 
and  hauled  up  their  boats  where  the  rising  tide 
could  not  float  them  off.  There  were  over  twenty 
of  them,  all  members  of  the  High  School. 

"The  Sea  Foam  sails  well,"  said  Robert  Mon 
tague,  as  he  walked  over  to  the  little  grove  with 
Donald. 

"Very  well,  indeed.  This  is  the  first  time  she 
has  been  out,  and  I  find  she  works  first  rate," 
replied  Donald. 

"I  want  to  try  it  with  her  some  day,  when 
everything  is  right." 

"Wasn't  everything  right  to-day?"  asked  Don 
ald,  smiling,  for  he  was  well  aware  that  every 
boatman  has  a  good  excuse  for  the  shortcomings 
of  his  craft. 

"No;  my  tender  is  twice  as  heavy  as  yours," 
added  Robert.  "I  must  get  your  father  to  build 
me  one  like  that  of  the  Sea  Foam." 


60  THE    YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

"We  will  try  it  without  any  tenders,  which  w* 
don't  want  in  a  race." 

"Of  course  I  don't  know  but  the  Sea  Foam 
can  beat  me;  but  I  haven't  seen  the  boat  of  her 
inches  before  that  could  show  her  stern  to  the 
Skylark,"  said  Robert;  and  it  was  plain  that  he 
was  a  little  nettled  at  the  slight  advantage  which 
the  new  yacht  had  gained. 

"I  should  like  to  sail  her  when  you  try  it,  for 
I  have  great  hopes  of  the  Sea  Foam.  If  my 
father  has  built  a  boat  that  will  beat  the  Skylark 
in  all  weathers,  he  has  done  a  big  thing,  and  it 
will  make  business  good  for  him." 

"For  his  sake  I  might  be  almost  willing  to  be 
whipped,"  replied  Robert,  good-naturedly,  as 
they  halted  in  the  grove. 

Charley  Armstrong  wras  the  oldest  member  of 
the  party,  and  he  was  to  call  the  meeting  to 
order,  which  he  did  with  a  brief  speech,  explain 
ing  the  object  of  the  gathering,  though  everybody 
present  knew  it  perfectly  well.  Charles  was  then 
chosen  chairman,  and  Dick  Adams  secretary.  It 
was  voted  to  form  a  club,  and  the  secretary  was 
called  upon  to  read  the  constitution  of  the  "Dor 
chester  Yacht  Club. ' '  The  name  was  changed  to 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  61 

Belfast,  and  the  document  was  adopted  as  the 
constitution  of  the  Belfast  Yacht  Club.  The  sec 
ond  article  declared  that  the  officers  should 
consist  of  a  "Commodore,  Vice-Commodore, 
Captain  of  the  Fleet,  Secretary,  Treasurer,  Meas 
urer,  a  Board  of  Trustees,  and  a  Regatta  Commit 
tee;"  and  the  next  business  was  to  elect  them, 
which  had  to  be  done  by  written  or  printed  bal 
lots.  As  the  first  three  officers  were  required  to 
be  owners  in  whole,  or  in  part,  of  yachts  en 
rolled  in  the  club,  there  wras  found  to  be  an  alarm 
ing  scarcity  of  yachts.  The  Skylark,  Sea  Foam, 
Phantom,  and  Christabel  were  on  hand.  Edward 
Patterdale  and  Samuel  Rodman  hud  signified 
their  intention  to  join,  though  they  were  unable 
to  be  present  at  the  first  meeting.  The  Maud,  as 
Samuel  Rodman's  new  yacht  was  to  be  called, 
was  to  be  built  at  once  :  she  was  duly  enrolled, 
thus  making  a  total  of  five,  from  whom  the  first 
three  officers  must  be  chosen. 

The  secretary  had  come  supplied  with  sta 
tionery,  and  a  slip  was  handed  to  each  member, 
after  the  constitution  had  been  signed.  A  ballot 
was  taken  for  commodore;  Robert  B.  Montague 
had  twenty  votes,  and  Charles  Armstrong  one. 


62  THE   YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

Robert  accepted  the  office  in  a  "neat  littlo 
speech,"  and  took  the  chair,  which  was  a  sharp 
rock.  Edward  Patterdale  was  elected  vice-com 
modore,  and  Joseph  Guilford  captain  of  the  fleet. 
Donald  was'  chosen  measurer,  and  the  other 
offices  filled  to  the  satisfaction  of  those  elected, 
if  not  of  the  others.  It  was  then  agreed  to  have  a 
review  and  excursion  on  the  following  Saturday, 
to  which  the  ladies  were  to  be  invited. 

The  important  business  of  the  day  was  happily 
finished,  and  the  fleet  sailed  for  Belfast.  Having 
secured  the  Sea  Foam  at  her  mooring,  Donald 
hastened  home.  As  he  approached  the  cottage, 
he  saw  a  doctor's  sulky  at  the  door,  and  the  neigh 
bors  going  in  and  out.  His  heart  rose  into  his 
throat,  for  there  was  not  one  living  beneath  that 
humble  roof  whom  he  did  not  love  better  than 
himself. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  6£ 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A   SAD  EVENT   IN   THE   RAMSAY   FAMILY. 

DONALD'S  heart  beat  violently  as  he  has 
tened  towards  the  cottage.  Before  he  could 
reach  it,  another  doctor  drew  up  at  the  door, 
and  it  was  painfully  certain  that  one  of  the  family 
was  very  sick — dangerously  so,  or  two  physicians 
would  not  have  been  summoned.  It  might  be  his 
father,  his  mother,  or  his  sister  Barbara;  and 
whichever  it  was,  it  was  terrible  to  think  of. 
His  legs  almost  gave  away  under  him,  when  he 
staggered  up  to  the  cottage.  As  he  did  so,  he 
recalled  the  fact  that  his  father  had  been  ailing 
when  he  went  away  in  the  Sea  Foam.  It  must  be 
his  father,  therefore,  who  was  now  so  desperately 
ill  as  to  require  the  attendance  of  two  doctors. 

The  cottage  was  a  small  affair,  with  a  pretty 
flower  garden  in  front  of  it,  and  a  whitewashed 
fence  around  it.  But  small  as  it  was,  it  was  not 


64  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

owned  by  the  boat-builder,  who,  though  not  in 
debt,  had  hardly  anything  of  this  world's  goods — 
possibly  a  hundred  dollars  in  the  savings'  bank, 
and  the  furniture  in  the  cottage.  Though  he  was 
as  prudent  and  thrifty  as  Scotchmen  generally 
are,  and  was  not  beset  by  their  "often  infirmity," 
he  had  not  been  very  prosperous.  The  business 
of  ship-building  had  been  almost  entirely  sus 
pended,  and  for  several  years  only  a  few  small 
vessels  had  been  built  in  the  city.  Eamsay  had 
always  obtained  work;  but  he  lived  well,  and 
gave  his  daughter  and  his  son  an  excellent  educa 
tion. 

Alexander  Kamsay's  specialty  was  the  building 
of  yachts  and  boats,  and  he  determined  to  make  a 
better  use  of  his  skill  than  selling  it  with  his  labor 
for  day  wages.  He  went  into  business  for  himself 
as  a  boat-builder.  When  he  established  himself, 
he  had  several  hundred  dollars,  with  which  he 
purchased  stock  and  tools.  He  had  built  several 
sail-boats,  but  the  Sea  Foam  was  the  largest  job 
he  had  obtained.  Doubtless  with  life  and  health 
he  would  have  done  a  good  business.  Donald 
had  always  been  interested  in  boats,  and  he  knew 
the  name  and  shape  of  every  timber  and  plank  ir 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  65 

the  hull  of  a  vessel,  as  well  as  every  spar  and 
rope.  Though  only  sixteen,  he  was  an  excellent 
mechanic  himself.  His  father  had  taken  great 
pains  to  instruct  him  in  the  use  of  tools,  and  in 
draughting  and  modelling  boats  and  larger  craft. 
He  not  only  studied  the  art  in  theory,  but  he 
worked  with  his  own  hands.  In  the  parlor  of  the 
little  cottage  was  a  full-rigged  brig,  made  entirely 
by  him.  The  hull  was  not  a  log,  shaped  and 
dug  out,  but  regularly  constructed,  with  timbers 
and  planking.  TV  hen  he  finished  it,  only  a  few 
months  before  his  introduction  to  the  reader,  he 
felt  competent  to  build  a  yacht  like  the  Sea 
Foam,  without  any  assistance;  but  boys  are  gen 
erally  over-confident,  and  possibly  he  overrated 
his  ability. 

With  his  heart  rising  up  into  his  throat,  Donald 
walked  towards  the  cottage.  As  he  passed  the 
whitewashed  gate,  one  of  the  neighbors  came  out 
at  the  front  door.  She  was  an  elderly  woman, 
and  she  looked  very  sad  as  she  glanced  at  the 
boy. 

"I'm  glad  you  have  come,  Donald;  but  I'm 
afraid  he'll  never  speak  to  you  again,"  said  she. 

"Is  it  my  father?"  gasped  the  poor  fellow.    * 
4 


66  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

'  "It  is;  and  he's  very  sick  indeed." 

"What  ails  him?" 

"That's  more  than  the  doctors  can  tell  yet," 
added  the  woman.  "They  say  it's  very  like  the 
cholera;  and  I  suppose  it's  cholera-morbus.  He 
has  been  ailing  for  several  days,  and  he  didn't 
take  care  of  himself.  But  go  in,  Donald,  and  see 
him  while  you  may." 

The  young  man  entered  the  cottage.  The  doc 
tors,  his  mother  and  sister,  were  all  doing  what 
they  could  for  the  sufferer,  who  was  enduring, 
with  what  patience  he  could,  the  most  agonizing 
pain.  Donald  went  into  the  chamber  where  his 
father  lay  writhing  upon  the  bed.  The  physi 
cians  were  at  work  upon  him;  but  he  saw  his  son 
as  he  entered  the  room  and  held  out  his  hand  to 
him.  The  boy  took  it  in  his  own.  It  was  cold 
and  convulsed. 

"I'm  glad  you've  come,  Donald,"  groaned  he, 
uttering  the  words  with  great  difficulty.  "Be  a 
good  boy  always,  and  take  care  of  your  mother 
and  sister." 

"I  will,  father,"  sobbed  Donald,  pressing  the 
cold  hand  he  held. 

"I  was  afraid  I  might  never  see  you  again," 
gasped  Mr.  Kamsay. 


TIIE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  67 

"O,  don't  give  up,  my  man,"  said  Dr.  Wad- 
man.  "You  may  be  all  right  in  a  few  hours." 

The  sick  man  said  no  more.  He  was  in  too 
much  pain  to  speak  again,  and  Dr.  Wadman  sent 
Donald  to  the  kitchen  for  some  hot  water.  When 
he  returned  with  it  he  was  directed  to  go  to  the 
apothecary's  for  an  ounce  of  chloroform,  which 
the  doctors  were  using  internally  and  externally, 
and  had  exhausted  their  supply.  Donald  ran  all 
the  way  as  though  the  life  of  his  father  depended 
upon  his  speed.  He  was  absent  only  a  few  min 
utes,  but  when  he  came  back  there  was  weeping 
and  wailing  in  the  little  cottage  by  the  sea-side. 
His  father  had  breathed  his  last,  even  while  the 
doctors  were  hopefully  working  to  save  him. 

"O,  Donald,  Donald!"  cried  Mrs.  Ramsay,  as 
she  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck.  "Your  pool- 
father  is  gone ! ' ' 

The  boy  could  not  speak;  he  could  not  even 
weep,  though  his  grief  was  not  less  intense  than 
that  of  his  mother  and  sister.  They  groaned,  and 
sobbed,  and  sighed  together,  till  kind  neighbors 
led  them  from  the  chamber  of  death,  vainly  en 
deavoring  to  comfort  them.  It  was  hours  before 
they  were  even  tolerably  calm;  but  they  could 


68  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

speak  of  nothing,  think  of  nothing,  but  him  who 
was  gone.  The  neighbors  did  all  that  it  was  nec 
essary  to  do,  and  spent  the  night  with  the 
afflicted  ones,  who  could  not  separate  to  seek 
their  beds.  The  rising  sun  of  the  Sabbath  found 
them  still  up,  and  still  weeping — those  wiio  could 
weep.  It  was  a  long,  long  Sunday  to  them,  and 
every  moment  of  it  was  given  to  him  who  had 
been  a  devoted  husband  and  a  tender  father. 
On  Monday,  all  too  soon,  was  the  funeral;  and 
all  that  was  mortal  of  Alexander  Ramsay  was  laid 
in  the  silent  grave,  never  more  to  be  looked  upon 
by  those  who  had  loved  him,  and  whom  he  had 
loved. 

The  little  cottage  was  like  a  casket  robbed  of 

o 

its  single  jewel  to  those  who  wrere  left.  Earth 
and  life  seemed  like  a  terrible  blank  to  them. 
They  could  not  accustom  themselves  to  the  empty 
chair  at  the  window  where  he  sat  when  his  day's 
work  was  done;  to  the  vacant  place  at  the  table, 
where  he  had  always  invoked  the  blessing  of  God 
on  the  frugal  fare  before  them ;  and  to  the  silent 
and  deserted  shop  on  the  other  side  of  the  street, 
from  which  the  noise  of  his  hammer  and  the  clip  of 
his  adze  had  come  to  them.  A  week  wore  away 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  69 

and  nothing  was  done  but  the  most  necessary 
offices  of  the  household.  The  neighbors  came 
frequently  to  beguile  their  grief,  and  the  minister 
made  several  visits,  bearing  to  them  the  consola 
tions  of  the  gospel,  and  the  tender  message  of  a 
genuine  sympathy. 

But  it  is  not  for  poor  people  long  to  waste 
themselves  in  idle  lamentations.  The  problem 
of  the  future  was  forced  upon  Mrs.  Ramsay  for 
solution.  If  they  had  been  able  only  to  live 
comfortably  on  the  earnings  of  the  dead  husband, 
what  should  they  do  now  when  the  strong  arm  that 
delved  for  them  was  silent  in  the  cold  embrace  of 
death  ?  They  must  all  work  now ;  but  even  then 
the  poor  woman  could  hardly  see  how  she  could 
keep  her  family  together.  Barbara  was  eighteen, 
but  she  had  never  done  anything  except  to  assist 
her  mother,  whose  health  was  not  very  good, 
about  the  house.  She  was  a  graduate  of  the  High 
School,  and  competent,  so  far  as  education  was 
concerned,  to  teach  a  school  if  she  could  obtain 
a  situation.  Mrs.  Ramsay  might  obtain  work  to 
be  done  at  home,  but  it  was  only  a  pittance  she 
could  earn  besides  doing  her  housework.  She 
wished  to  have  Donald  finish  his  education  at  the 


70  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

High  School,  but  she  was  afraid  this  was  impos« 
sible. 

Donald,  still  mourning  for  his  father,  who  had 
so  constantly  been  his  companion  in  the  cottage 
and  in  the  shop,  that  he  could  not  reconcile  him 
self  to  the  loss,  hardly  thought  of  the  future,  till 
his  mother  spoke  to  him  about  it.  He  had  often, 
since  that  bitter  Saturday  night,  recalled  the  last 
words  his  father  had  ever  spoken  to  him,  in  which 
he  had  told  him  to  be  a  good  boy  always  and  take 
care  of  his  mother  and  sister;  but  they  had  not 
much  real  significance  to  him  till  his  mother 
spoke  to  him.  Then  he  understood  them;  then 
he  saw  that  his  father  was  conscious  of  the  near 
approach  of  death,  and  had  given  his  mother  and 
his  sister  into  his  keeping.  Then,  with  the  mem 
ory  of  him  who  was  gone  lingering  near  and  dear 
in  his  heart,  a  mighty  resolution  was  born  in  his 
soul,  though  it  did  not  at  once  take  a  practical 
form. 

"Don't  worry  about  the  future,  mother,"  said 
he,  after  he  had  listened  to  her  rather  hopeless 
statement  of  her  views. 

"I  don't  worry  about  it,  Donald,  for  while  we 
have  our  health  and  strength,  we  can  work  and 


THE  YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  71 

make  a  living.  I  want  to  keep  you  In  school  till 
the  end  of  the  year,  but  I — " 

"Of  course  I  can't  go  to  school  any  more, 
mother.  I  am  ready  to  go  to  work,"  interposed 
Donald. 

"I  know  you  are,  my  boy;  but  I  want  you  to 
finish  your  school  course  very  much. ' ' 

''I  haven't  thought  a  great  deal  about  the  mat 
ter  yet,  mother,  but  I  think  I  shall  be  able  to  do 
what  father  told  me." 

"Your  father  did  not  expect  you  to  take  care 
of  us  till  you  had  grown  up,  I'm  sure,"  added 
Mrs.  Kamsay,  who  had  heard  the  dying  injunction 
of  her  husband  to  their  son. 

"I  don't  know  that  he  did;  but  I  shall  do  the 
best  I  can." 

"Poor  father!  He  never  thought  of  anything 
but  us,"  sighed  Mrs.  Ramsay;  and  her  woman's 
tears  flowed  freely  again,  so  freely  that  there  was 
no  power  of  utterance  left  to  her. 

Donald  wept,  too,  as  he  thought  of  him  who 
was  not  only  his  father,  but  his  loving  companion 
in  study,  in  work,  and  in  play.  He  left  the 
house  and  walked  over  to  the  shop.  For  the  first 
time  since  the  sad  event,  he  unlocked  the  door 


72  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OH 

and  entered.  The  tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks 
as  he  glanced  at  the  bench  where  his  father  had 
done  his  last  day's  work.  The  planes  and  a  few 
other  tools  were  neatly  arranged  upon  it,  and  his 
apron  was  spread  over  them.  On  the  walls  were 
models  of  boats  and  yachts,  and  in  one  corner 
were  the  "moulds."  Donald  seated  himself  on 
the  tool-chest,  and  looked  around  at  every  famil 
iar  object  in  the  shop.  He  was  thinking  of  some 
thing,  but  his  thought  had  not  yet  taken  definite 
form.  While  he  was  considering  the  present  and 
the  future,  Samuel  Rodman  entered  the  shop. 

"Do  you  suppose  I  can  get  the  model  of  the 
Sea  Foam,  Don  John?"  inquired  he,  after  some 
thing  had  been  said  about  the  deceased  boat- 
builder. 

"I  think  you  can.  The  model  and  the  draw 
ings  are  all  here,"  replied  Donald. 

"We  intend  to  build  the  Maud  this  season,  and 
I  want  her  to  be  as  near  like  the  Sea  Foam  as  pos 
sible." 

"Who  is  going  to  build  her?"  asked  Donald, 
his  interest  suddenly  kindled  by  the  question. 

"I  don't  know;  we  haven't  spoken  to  any  one 
about  it  yet,"  replied  Samuel.  "There  isn't  any- 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  73 

body  in  these  parts  that  can  build  her   as   your 
father   would." 

"Sam,  can't  I  do  this  job  for  you?"  said 
Donald. 

"You?" 

"Yes,  I.  You  know  I  used  to  work  with  my 
father,  and  I  understand  his  way  of  doing  things." 

"Well,  I  hadn't  thought  that  you  could  do  it; 
but  I  will  talk  with  my  father  about  it,"  an 
swered  Samuel,  who  appeared  to  have  some  doubts 
about  the  ability  of  his  friend  to  do  so  large  a 
job. 

"I  don't  mean  to  do  it  all  myself,  Sam.  I  will 
hire  one  or  two  first-rate  ship  carpenters,"  added 
Donald.  "She  shall  be  just  like  the  Sea  Foam, 
except  a  little  alteration,  which  my  father  ex 
plained  to  me,  in  the  bow  and  run." 

"Do  you  think  you  could  do  the  job,  Don 
John?"  asked  Samuel,  with  an  incredulous  smile. 

"I  know  I  could,"  said  Donald,  earnestly. 
"If  I  had  time  enough  I  could  build  her  all 
alone." 

"We  want  her  as  soon  as  we    can   get   her." 

"She  shall  be  finished  as  quick  as  my  father 
could  have  done  her." 


74  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

"I  will  see  my  father  about  it  to-night,  Don 
John,  and  let  you  know  to-morrow.  I  came 
down  to  see  about  the  model." 

Samuel  Rodman  left  the  shop  and  walked  down 
the  beach  to  the  sail-boat  in  which  he  had  come. 
Donald  was  almost  inspired  by  the  idea  which 
had  taken  possession  of  him.  If  he  could  only 
carry  on  his  father's  business,  he  could  make 
money  enough  to  support  the  family ;  and  know 
ing  every  stick  in  the  hull  of  a  vessel,  he  felt 
competent  to  do  so.  Full  of  enthusiasm,  he  hast 
ened  into  the  cottage  to  unfold  his  brilliant 
scheme  to  his  mother.  He  stated  his  plan  to  her, 
but  at  first  she  shook  her  head. 

6  'Do  you  think  you  could  build  a  yacht,  Don 
ald?"  she  asked. 

"I  am  certain  I  could.  Didn't  you  hear  father 
say  that  my  brig  contained  every  timber  and 
plank  that  belongs  to  a  vessel?" 

4 'Yes,  and  that  the  work  was  done  as  well  as  he 
could  do  it  himself;  but  that  does  not  prove  that 
you  can  carry  on  the  business." 

"I  want  one  or  two  men,  if  we  build  the  Maud, 
because  it  would  take  too  long  for  me  to  do  all 
the  work  alone." 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  75 

* 'The  Maud?" 

"That  was  the  yacht  that  father  was  to  build 
next.  I  asked  Sam  Kodman  to  give  me  the  job, 
and  he  is  going  to  talk  with  his  father  about  it 
to-night." 

Mrs.  Ramsay  was  rather  startled  at  this  an 
nouncement,  which  indicated  that  her  son  really 
meant  business  in  earnest. 

4 'Do  you  think  he  will  let  you  do  it?"  she 
asked. 

"I  hope  he  will." 

"Are  you  sure  you  can  make  anything  if  you 
build  the  yacht?" 

"Father  made  over  three  hundred  dollars  on 
the  Sea  Foam,  besides  his  day  wages." 

"That  is  no  reason  why  you  can  do  it." 

"All  his  models,  moulds,  and  draughts  are  in 
the  shop.  I  know  where  they  are,  and  just  what 
to  do  with  them.  I  hope  you  will  let  me  try  it, 
mother." 

"Suppose  you  don't  make  out?" 

"But  I  shall  make  out." 

"If  Mr.  Rodman  refuses  to  accept  the  yacht 
after  the  job  is  done,  what  will  you  do?" 

"I  shall  have  her  myself  then,  and  I  can  make 
lots  of  money  taking  out  parties  in  her." 


76  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"Your  father  was  paid  for  the  Sea  Foam  as  the 
work  progressed.  He  had  received  eight  hun 
dred  dollars  on  her  when  she  was  finished." 

"I  know  it;  and  Captain  Patterdale  owes  four 
hundred  more.  If  you  let  me  use  some  of  the 
money  to  buy  stock  and  pay  the  men  till  I  get 
payment  on  the  job,  I  shall  do  very  well." 

"We  must  have  something  to  live  on.  After 
I  have  paid  the  funeral  expenses  and  other  bills, 
this  money  that  Captain  Patterdale  owes  will  be 
all  I  have." 

"But  Mr.  Rodman  will  pay  me  something  on 
the  job,  when  he  is  satisfied  that  the  work  will 
be  done." 

The  widow  was  not  very  clear  about  the  busi 
ness;  but  she  concluded,  at  last,  that  if  Mr. 
Rodman  would  give  him  the  job,  she  would  allow 
him  to  undertake  it.  Donald  was  satisfied,  and 
went  back  to  the  shop.  He  opened  his  father's 
chest  and  took  out  his  account  book.  Turning  to 
a  page  which  was  headed  "Sea  Foam,"  he  found 
every  item  of  labor  and  expenditure  charged  to 
her.  Every  day's  work,  every  foot  of  stock, 
every  pound  of  nails,  every  article  of  brass  or 
hardware,  and  the  cost  of  sails  and  cordage, 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  77 

were  carefully  entered  on  the  account.  From 
this  he  could  learn  the  price  of  everything  used 
in  ihe  construction  of  the  yacht,  for  his  guid 
ance  111  the  great  undertaking  before  him.  But 
he  was  quite  familiar  before  with  the  cost  of 
everything  used  in  building  a  boat.  On  a  piece 
of  smooth  board,  he  figured  up  the  probable 
cost,  and  assured  himself  he  could  make  a  good 
job  of  the  building  of  the  Maud. 

The  next  day  was  Saturday — two  weeks  after 
the  organization  of  the  yacht  club.  There  had 
been  a  grand  review  a  week  before,  which  Don 
ald  did  not  attend.  The  yachtmen  had  taken 
their  mothers,  sisters,  and  other  friends  on  an 
excursion  down  the  bay,  and  given  them  a  col 
lation  at  Turtle  Head.  On  the  Saturday  in 
question,  a  meeting  of  the  club  at  the  Head  had 
been  called  to  complete  the  arrangements  for  a 
regatta,  and  the  Committee  on  Regattas  were  to 
make  their  report.  Donald  had  been  requested 
to  attend  in  order  to  measure  the  yachts.  He 
did  not  feel  much  like  taking  part  in  the  sports 
of  the  club,  but  he  decided  to  perform  the  duty 
required  of  him.  He  expected  to  see  Samuel 
Rodman  on  this  occasion,  and  to  learn  the  de- 


78  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OK 

cision   of  his  father  in  regard  to  the  building  of 
the  Maud. 

After  breakfast  he  embarked  in  the  sail-boat 
which  had  belonged  to  his  father,  and  with  a 
fresh  breeze  stood  over  to  Turtle  Head.  He  had 
dug  some  clams  early  in  the  morning,  and  told 
his  mother  he  should  bring  home  some  fish 
which  he  intended  to  catch  after  the  meeting  of 
the  club.  As  the  boat  sped  on  her  way,  he 
thought  of  his  grand  scheme  to  carry  on  his 
father's  business,  and  everything  seemed  to  de 
pend  upon  Mr.  Rodman's  decision.  He  hoped 
for  the  best,  but  he  trembled  for  the  result. 
When  he  reached  his  destination,  he  found  an 
other  boat  at  the  Head,  and  soon  discovered 
Laud  Cavendish  on  the  bluff. 

1  'Hallo,  Don  John!"  shouted  the  swell,  as 
Donald  stepped  on  shore. 

''How  are  you,  Laud?     You  are  out  early." 

4 'Not  very;  I  came  ashore  here  to  see  if  I 
couldn't  find  some  clams,"  added  Laud,  as  he 
held  up  a  clam-digger  he  carried  in  his  hand — a 
kind  of  trowel  fixed  in  a  shovel-handle. 

"You  can't  find  any  clams  here,"  said  Donald, 
wondering  that  even  such  a  swell  should  expect 
to  find  them  there. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  79 

"I  am  going  down  to  Camden  to  stay  over 
Sunday,  and  I  thought  I  might  fish  a  little  on  the 
way." 

"You  will  find  some  farther  down  the  shore, 
where  there  is  a  soft  beach.  Do  you  get  off  every 
Saturday  now,  Laud?" 

"Get  off?  Yes;  I  get  off  every  day.  I'm  out 
of  a  job." 

"I  thought  you  were  at  Miller's  store." 

"I  was  there;  but  I'm  not  now.  Miller 
shoved  me  out.  Do  you  know  of  any  fellow 
that  has  a  good  boat  to  sell?" 

"What  kind  of  a  boat?" 

"Well,  one  like  the  Skylark  and  the  Sea 
Foam." 

"No;  I  don't  know  of  anyone  around  here. 
Do  you  want  to  buy  one?" 

"Yes;  I  thought  I  would  buy  one,  if  I  could 
get  her  about  right.  She  must  be  cheap." 

"How  cheap  do  you  expect  to  buy  a  boat  like 
the  Sea  Foam?"  asked  Donald,  wondering  what  a 
young  man  out  of  business  could  bo  thinking 
about  when  he  talked  of  buying  a  yacht. 

"Four  or  five  hundred  dollars." 

"The  Sea  Foam  cost  twelve  hundred." 


80  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"That's  a  fancy  price.  The  Skylark  didn't 
cost  but  five  hundred." 

"Do  you  want  to  give  five  hundred  for  a 
boat?" 

"Not  for  myself,  Don  John.  I  was  going  to 
buy  one  for  another  man.  I  must  be  going 
now,' '  added  Laud,  as  he  went  down  to  his  boat. 

Hoisting  his  sail,  he  shoved  off,  and  stood  over 
towards  Searsport.  Donald  walked  up  the  slope 
to  the  Head,  from  which  he  could  see  the  yacht 
club  fleet  as  soon  as  it  sailed  from  the  city. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  81 


CHAPTER  V. 

CAPTAIN   SHIVEENOCK. 

DONALD  seated  himself  on  a  rock,  with  his 
gaze  directed  towards  Belfast.  His  par 
ticular  desire  just  then  was  to  see  Samuel  Rodman, 
in  order  to  learn  whether  he  was  to  have  the  job  of 
building  the  Maud.  He  felt  able  to  do  it,  and  even 
then,  as  he  thought  of  the  work,  he  had  in  his 
mind  the  symmetrical  lines  of  the  new  yacht,  as 
they  were  to  be  after  the  change  in  the  model  which 
his  father  had  explained  to  him.  He  recalled  a 
suggestion  of  a  small  increase  in  the  size  of  the 
mainsail,  which  had  occurred  to  him  when  he 
sailed  the  Sea  Foam.  His  first  aspiration  was 
only  to  build  a  yacht;  his  second  was  to  build 
one  that  would  beat  anything  of  her  inches  in  the 
fleet.  If  he  could  realize  this  last  ambition,  he 
would  have  all  the  business  he  could  do. 

The  yacht  fleet  did  not  appear  up  the  bay ;   but 
6 


82  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OB 

it  was  only  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  pos 
sibly  the  meeting  of  the  club  would  not  take 
place  till  afternoon.  If  any  one  had  told  him  the 
hour,  he  had  forgotten  it,  but  the  former  meeting 
had  been  in  the  forenoon.  He  was  too  nervous 
to  sit  still  a  great  while,  and,  rising,  he  walked 
about,  musing  upon  his  grand  scheme.  The 
place  was  an  elevated  platform  of  rock,  a  portion 
of  it  covered  with  soil  to  the  depth  of  several 
feet,  on  which  the  grass  grew.  It  was  not  fur 
above  the  water  even  at  high  tide,  nor  were  the 
bluffs  very  bold.  The  plateau  was  on  a  penin 
sula,  extending  to  the  north  from  the  island, 
which  was  not  unlike  the  head  of  a  turtle,  and 
the  shape  had  given  it  a  name.  Donald  walked 
back  and  forth  on  the  headland,  watching  for  the 
fleet. 

"I  wonder  if  Laud  Cavendish  was  digging  for 
clams  up  here,"  thought  he,  as  he  observed  a  spot 
where  the  earth  appeared  to  have  been  disturbed. 

The  marks  of  Laud's  clam-digger  were  plainly 
to  be  seen  in  the  loam,  a  small  quantity  of  which 
remained  on  the  sod.  Certainly  the  swell  had 
been  digging  there;  but  it  could  not  have  been 
for  clams;  and  Donald  was  trying  to  imagine 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  83 

what  it  was  for,  when  he  heard  footsteps  near 
him.  Coming  towards  him,  he  discovered  Cap 
tain  Shivernock,  of  the  city;  and  he  had  two 
problems  to  solve  instead  of  one;  not  very  im 
portant  ones,  it  is  true,  but  just  such  as  arc  sug 
gested  to  everybody  at  times.  Perhaps  it  did 
not  make  the  least  difference  to  the  young  man 
whether  or  not  he  ascertained  why  Laud  Caven 
dish  had  been  digging  on  the  Head,  or  why  Cap 
tain  Shivernock  happened  to  be  on  the  island, 
apparently  without  any  boat,  at  that  time  in  the 
morning.  I  do  not  think  Donald  would  have 
given  a  nickel  five-cent  piece  to  have  been  in 
formed  correctly  upon  either  point,  though  he  did 
propose  the  question  to  himself  in  each  case. 
Probably  Laud  had  no  particular  object  in  view 
in  digging — the  ground  did  not  look  as  though  he 
had;  and  Captain  Shivernock  was  odd  enough  to 
do  anything,  or  to  be  anywhere,  at  the  most  un 
seasonable  hours. 

"How  are  you,  Don  John?"  shouted  the  cap 
tain,  as  he  came  within  hailing  distance  of 
Donald. 

"How  do   you  do,   Captain  Shivernock,"   re 
plied  the  young  man,  rather  coldly,  for  he  had  no 


84  THE    YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

regard,  and  certainly  no  admiration,  for  the  man. 

"You  are  just  the  man  I  wanted  to  see,"  added 
the  captain. 

Donald  could  not  reciprocate  the  sentiment, 
and,  not  being  a  hypocrite,  he  made  no  reply. 
The  captain  seemed  to  be  somewhat  fatigued  and 
out  of  breath,  and  immediately  seated  himself  on 
the  flat  rock  which  the  young  man  had  occupied. 
He  was  not  more  than  five  feet  and  a  half  high, 
but  was  tolerably  stout.  The  top  of  his  head  was 
as  bald  as  a  winter  squash ;  but  extending  around 
the  back  of  his  head  from  ear  to  ear  was  a  heavy 
fringe  of  red  hair.  His  whiskers  were  of  the 
same  color;  but,  as  age  began  to  bleach  them  out 
under  the  chin,  he  shaved  this  portion  of  his 
figure-head,  while  his  side  whiskers  and  mustache 
were  very  long.  He  was  dressed  in  a  complete 
suit  of  gray,  and  wore  a  coarse  braided  straw  hat. 

Captain  Shivernock,  as  I  have  more  than  once 
hinted,  was  an  eccentric  man.  He  had  been  a 
shipmaster  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  life,  and 
had  made  a  fortune  by  some  lucky  speculations 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  in  which  he 
took  counsel  of  his  interest  rather  than  his 
patriotism.  He  had  a  strong  will,  a  violent  tern- 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  85 

per,  and  an  implacable  hatred  to  any  man  who  had 
done  him  an  injury,  either  actually  or  construct 
ively.  It  was  said  that  he  was  as  faithful  and  de 
voted  in  his  friendships  as  he  was  bitter  and 
relentless  in  his  hatreds;  but  no  one  in  the  city, 
where  he  was  a  very  unpopular  man,  had  any  par 
ticular  experience  of  the  soft  side  of  his  character. 
He  was  a  native  of  Lincolnville,  near  Belfast, 
though  he  had  left  his  home  in  his  youth.  lie 
had  a  fine  house  in  the  city,  and  lived  in  good 
style.  He  was  said  to  be  a  widower,  and  had  no 
children.  The  husband  of  his  housekeeper  was 
the  man  of  all  work  about  his  place,  and  both  of 
them  had  come  with  their  employer  from  New 
York. 

He  seldom  did  anything  like  other  people. 
He  never  went  to  church,  would  never  put  his 
name  upon  a  subscription  paper,  however  worthy 
the  object,  though  he  had  been  known  to  give  a 
poor  man  an  extravagant  reAvard  for  a  slight  ser 
vice.  He  would  not  pay  his  taxes  till  the  fangs 
of  the  law  worried  the  money  out  of  him,  but 
would  give  fifty  dollars  for  the  first  salmon  or  the 
first  dish  of  peaches  of  the  season  for  his  table. 
He  was  as  full  of  contradictions  as  he  was  of 


86  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

oddities,  and  no  one  knew  how  to  take  him."  One 
moment  he  seemed  to  be  hoarding  his  money  like 
a  miser,  and  the  next  scattering  it  with  insane 
prodigality. 

"I'm  tired  out,  Don  John,"  added  Captain 
Shivernock,  as  he  seated  himself,  fanning  his  red 
face  with  his  hat. 

* 'Have  you  walked  far,  sir?"  asked  Donald, 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  captain ;  for 
his  father  had  worked  on  his  boat,  and  he  was 
often  in  the  shop. 

i  'I  believe  I  have  hoofed  it  about  ten  miles  this 
morning,"  replied  Captain  Shivernock  with  an 
oath;  and  he  had  a  wicked  habit  of  ornamenting 
every  sentence  he  used  with  a  profane  expletive, 
which  I  shall  invariably  omit. 

"Then  you  have  walked  nearly  the  whole 
length  of  the  island." 

"Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  I  lie?"  demanded  the 
captain. 

"Certainly  not,  sir,"  protested  Donald. 

"My  boat  got  aground  down  here.  I  started 
early  this  morning  to  go  down  to  Yinal  Haven; 
but  I'm  dished  now,  and  can't  go,"  continued 
Captain  Shivernock,  so  interlarding  with  oaths 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  87 

this  simple  statement  that  it  looks  like  another 
thing  divested  of  them. 

6 'Where  did  you  get  aground?"  asked  Donald. 

"Down  by  Seal  Harbor. " 

"About  three  miles  from  here." 

"Do  you  think  I  lied  to  you?" 

"By  no  means,  sir." 

Donald  could  not  divine  how  the  captain  had 
got  aground  near  Seal  Harbor,  if  he  was  bound 
from  Belfast  to  Vinal  Haven,  though  it  was  pos 
sible  that  the  wind  had  been  more  to  the  south 
ward  early  in  the  morning,  compelling  him  to 
beat  down  the  bay ;  but  it  was  not  prudent  to 
question  anything  the  captain  said. 

"I  ran  in  shore  pretty  well,  and  took  the 
ground.  I  tried  for  half  an  hour  to  get  the  Juno 
off,  but  I  was  soon  left  high  and  dry  on  the 
beach.  I  anchored  her  where  she  was,  and  I'm 
sorry  now  I  didn't  set  her  afire,"  explained  the 
captain. 

"Set  her  afire  I"  exclaimed  Donald. 

"That's  what  I  said.  She  shall  never  play 
me  such  a  trick  again,"  growled  the  strange  man. 

"Why,  it  wasn't  the  fault  of  the  boat." 

"Do  you  mean  to   say  it  was  my  fault?"  de- 


88  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OB 

manded  the  captain,  ripping  out  a  string  of  oaths 
that  made  Donald  shiver. 

"It  was  an  accident  which  might  happen  to  any 
one." 

"Do  you  think  I  didn't  know  what  I  was 
about?" 

"I  suppose  you  did,  sir;  but  any  boat  may  get 
aground." 

"Not  with  me!  if  she  did  I'd  burn  her  or  sell 
her  for  old  junk.  I  never  will  sail  in  her  again 
after  I  get  home.  I  know  what  I'm  about." 

"Of  course  you  do,  sir." 

"Got  a  boat  here?"  suddenly  demanded  the 
eccentric. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  have  our  sail-boat." 

"Take  me  down  to  Seal  Harbor  in  her,"  added 
the  captain,  rising  from  his  seat. 

"I  don't  think  I  can  go,  sir." 

"Don't  you?  What's  the  reason  you  can't?" 
asked  the  captain,  with  a  sneer  on  his  lips. 

"I  have  to  meet  the  yacht  club  here." 

Captain  Shivernock  cursed  the  yacht  club  with 
decided  unction,  and  insisted  that  Donald  should 
convey  him  in  his  boat  to  the  place  where  the 
Juno  was  at  anchor. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  89 


;I    have   to   measure   the   yachts    when   they 


come,  sir." 


4 'Measure — "  but  the  place  the  captain  sug 
gested  was  not  capable  of  measurement.  "I'll 
pay  you  well  for  going. ' ' 

"I  should  not  ask  any  pay  if  I  could  go," 
added  Donald,  glancing  up  the  bay  to  see  if  the 
fleet  was  under  way. 

4 'I  say  I  will  pay  you  well,  and  you  will  be  a 
fool  if  you  don't  go  with  me." 

"The  yachts  haven't  started  yet,  and  perhaps  I 
shall  have  time  to  get  back  before  they  arrive." 

"I  don't  care  whether  you  get  back  or  not;  I 
want  you  to  go." 

"I  will  go,  sir,  and  run  the  risk,"  replied 
Donald,  as  he  led  the  way  down  to  the  boat. 

Shoving  her  off,  he  helped  the  captain  into  her, 
and  hoisted  the  sail. 

"What  boat's  that  over  there?"  demanded 
Captain  Shivernock,  as  he  pointed  at  the  craft 
sailed  by  Laud  Cavendish,  which  was  still  stand 
ing  on  towards  Searsport. 

Donald  told  him  who  was  in  her. 

"Don't  go  near  her,"  said  he,  sternly.  "I 
always  want  a  good  mile  between  me  and  that 
puppy." 


90  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OK 

"He  is  bound  to  Camden,  and  won't  get  there 
for  a  week  at  that  rate,"  added  Donald. 

"Don't  care  if  he  don't,"  growled  the  pas 
senger. 

"I  don't  know  that  I  do,  either,"  added  the 
skipper.  "Laud  wants  to  buy  a  boat,  and  per 
haps  you  can  sell  him  yours,  if  you  are  tired  of 
her." 

"Shut  up!" 

Donald  did  "shut  up,"  and  decided  not  to 
make  any  more  talk  with  the  captain,  only  to 
give  him  civil  answers.  Ordinarily  he  would  as 
soon  have  thought  of  wrestling  with  a  Bengal 
tiger  as  of  carrying  on  a  conversation  with  such  a 
porcupine  as  his  passenger,  who  scrupled  not  to 
insult  man  or  boy  without  the  slightest  provoca 
tion.  In  a  few  moments  the  skipper  tacked, 
having  weathered  the  Head,  and  stood  into  the 
little  bay  west  of  it. 

"Don  John,"  said  Captain  Shivernock,  sharply, 
fixing  his  gaze  upon  the  skipper. 

"Sir?" 

The  captain  took  his  wallet  from  his  pocket. 
It  was  well  filled  with  greenbacks,  from  which 
lie  took  several  ten-dollar  bills — five  or  six  of 
them,  at  least. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  91 


"I  will  pay  you,"  said  he. 

"I  don't  ask  any  pay  for  this,  sir.  I  am  wil 
ling  to  do  you  a  favor  for  nothing." 

"Hold  your  tongue,  you  fool!  A  favor?" 
sneered  the  eccentric.  "Do  you  think  I  would 
ask  a  little  monkey  like  you  to  do  me  a  favor?" 

"I  won't  call  it  a  favor,  sir." 

"Better  not.  There!  take  that,"  and  Captain 
Shivernock  shoved  the  bills  he  had  taken  from 
his  wallet  into  Donald's  hand. 

"No,  sir!  I  can't  take  all  that,  if  I  do  any 
thing,"  protested  the  skipper,  amazed  at  the  gen 
erosity  of  his  passenger.  The  captain,  with  a 
sudden  spring,  grasped  a  short  boat-hook  which 
lay  between  the  rail  and  the  wash-board. 

"Put  that  money  into  your  pocket,  or  I'll 
smash  your  head;  and  you  won't  be  the  first 
man  I've  killed,  either,'*  said  the  violent  pas- 


Donald  did  not  find  the  money  hard  to  take 
on  its  own  merits,  and  he  considerately  obeyed 
the  savage  order.  His  pride,  which  revolted  at 
the  idea  of  being  paid  for  a  slight  service  ren 
dered  to  a  neighbor,  Was  effectually  conquered. 
He  put  the  money  in  his  pocket;  but  as  soon  as 


92  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OB 

the  captain  laid  down  the  boat-hook,  he  took  it 
out  to  count  it,  and  found  there  was  fifty  dol 
lars.  He  deposited  it  carefully  in  his  wallet. 

"You  don't  mean  to  pay  me  all  that  money  foi 
this  little  job?"  said  he. 

"Do  you  think  I  don't  know  what  I  mean?" 
snarled  the  passenger. 

"I  suppose  you  do,  sir." 

"You  suppose  I  do!"  sneered  the  cynic.  "You 
know  I  do." 

"Fifty  dollars  is  a  great  deal  of  money  for 
such  a  little  job. " 

"That's  none  of  your  business.  Don  John, 
you've  got  a  tongue  in  your  head ! ' '  said  Cap 
tain  Shiver  nock,  pointing  his  finger  at  the  skip- 
per,  and  glowering  upon  him  as  though  he  was 
charging  him  with  some  heinous  crime. 

"I  am  aware  of  it,  sir,"  replied  Donald. 

"Do  you  know  what  a  tongue  is  for?"  de 
manded  the  captain. 

"It  is  of   great  assistance  to  one  in  talking." 

"Don't  equivocate,  you  sick  monkey.  Do 
you  know  what  a  tongue  is  for?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"What's  a  tongue  for?" 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  93 

"To  talk  with,  and — " 

* 'That's  enough!  I  thought  you  would  say 
so.  You  are  an  ignorant  whelp." 

"Isn't  the  tongue  to  talk  with?" 

"No!"  roared  the  passenger. 

"What  is  it  for,  then?"  asked  Donald,  who 
did  not  know  whether  to  be  alarmed  or  amused 
at  the  manner  of  his  violent  companion. 

"It's  to  keep  still  with,  you  canting  little 
monkey!  And  that's  what  I  want  you  to  do 
with  your  tongue,"  replied  Captain  Shivernock. 

"I  don't  think  I  understand  you,  sir." 

"I  don't  think  you  do.  How  could  you,  when 
I  haven't  told  you  what  I  mean.  Listen  to  me." 
The  eccentric  paused,  and  fixed  his  gaze  ear 
nestly  upon  the  skipper. 

"Have  you  seen  me  this  morning?"  demanded 
he. 

"Of  course  I  have." 

"No,  you  haven't!" 

"I  really  thought  I  had." 

"Thought's  a  fool,  and  you're  another!  You 
haven't  seen  me.  If  anybody  in  Belfast  asks 
you  if  you  have  seen  me,  tell  'em  you  haven't." 

"If  the  tongue  isn't  to  talk  with,  it  isn't  to 
tell  a  lie  with,"  added  Donald. 


94  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!"  laughed  the  captain;  "you've 
got  me  there." 

He  produced  his  wallet  again,  and  took  a  ten- 
dollar  bill  from  the  roll  it  contained,  which  he 
tendered  to  Donald. 

"What's  that  for?"  asked  the  skipper. 

"Put  it  in  your  pocket,  or  I'll  mash  your 
empty  skull!" 

Donald  placed  it  with  the  other  bills  in  his 
wallet,  more  than  ever  amazed  at  the  conduct  of 
his  singular  passenger. 

"I  never  allow  anyone  to  get  ahead  of  me 
without  paying  for  my  own  stupidity.  Do  you 
go  to  Sunday  School,  and  church,  and  mission 
ary  meetings?"  asked  the  captain,  with  a  sneer. 

"I  do,  sir." 

"I  thought  so.  You  are  a  sick  monkey.  You 
don't  let  your  tongue  tell  a  lie." 

"No,  sir;  I  don't  mean  to  tell  a  lie,  if  I  can 
help  it,  and  I  generally  can." 

"You  walk  in  the  strait  and  narrow  way  which 
leads  to  the  meeting-house.  I  don't.  All  right! 
Broad  is  the  way!  But  one  thing  is  certain, 
Don  John,  you  haven't  seen  me  to-day." 

"But  I  have,"  persisted  Donald. 


THE    VOTING   BOAT-BUILDER.  93 

"I  say  you  have  not;  don't  contradict  me,  if 
you  want  to  take  that  head  of  yours  home  with 
you.  Nobody  will  ask  whether  you  have  seen 
me  or  not;  so  that  if  a  lie  is  likely  to  choke 
you,  keep  still  with  your  tongue." 

"I  am  not  to  say  that  I  have  seen  you  on  the 
island?"  queried  Donald. 

"You  are  not,"  replied  the  captain,  with  an 
echoing  expletive. 

"Why  not,  sir?" 

"None  of  your  business!  Do  as  you  are  told, 
and  spend  the  money  I  gave  you  for  gingerbread 
and  fast  horses." 

"But  when  my  mother  sees  this  money  she 
will  want  to  know  where  I  got  it." 

"If  you  tell  her  or  anybody  else,  I'll  hammer 
your  head  till  it  isn't  thicker  than  a  piece  of 
sheet-iron.  Don't  let  her  see  the  money.  Hire 
a  fast  horse,  and  go  to  ride  next  Sunday." 

"I  don't  go  to  ride  on  Sunday." 

"I  suppose  not.  Give  it  to  the  missionaries 
to  buy  red  flannel  shirts  for  little  niggers  in  the 
West  Indies,  if  you  like.  I  don't  care  what  you 
do  with  it." 

"You  don't  wish  anybody  to  know  you  have 


96  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OK 

been  on  the  island  this  morning — is  that  the  idea, 
Captain  Shivernock?"  asked  Donald,  not  a  little 
alarmed  at  the  position  in  which  his  companion 
was  placing  him. 

"That's  the  idea,  Don  John." 

"I  don't  see  why — " 

"You  are  not  to  see  why,"  interrupted  the  cap 
tain,  fiercely.  "That's  my  business,  not  yours. 
Will  you  do  as  I  tell  you?" 

"If  there  is  any  trouble — " 

"There  isn't  any  trouble.  Do  you  think  I've 
killed  somebody? — No.  Do  you  think  I've 
robbed  somebody  ? — No.  Do  you  think  I've  set 
somebody's  house  on  fire  ? — No.  Do  you  think 
I've  stolen  somebody's  chickens? — No.  Nothing 
of  the  sort.  I  want  to  know  whether  you  can 
keep  your  tongue  still.  Let  us  see.  There's 
the  Juno." 

"Somebody  will  see  your  boat,  and  know  that 
you  have  been  here — " 

"That's  my  business,  not  yours.  Don't  bother 
your  head  with  what  don't  concern  you,"  growled 
the  passenger. 

The  Juno  was  afloat,  but  she  could  not  have 
been  so  many  minutes,  when  Donald  came  along- 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  97 

side  of  her.  It  was  now  about  half  tide  on  the 
flood,  and  she  must  have  grounded  at  about  half 
tide  on  the  ebb.  This  fact  indicated  that  Captain 
Shivernock  had  left  her  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  The  owner  of  the  Juno  stepped  into 
her,  and  Donald  hoisted  the  sail  for  him.  The 
boat  was  cat-rigged,  and  about  twenty-four  feet 
long.  She  was  a  fine  craft,  with  a  small  cabin 
forward,  furnished  with  every  convenience  the 
limited  space  would  permit.  The  captain  seated 
himself  in  the  standing-room,  and  began  to  heap 
maledictions  upon  the  boat. 

"I  never  will  sail  in  her  again,"  said  he.  "I 
will  burn  her,  and  get  a  centre-board  boat." 

"What  will  you  take  for  her,  sir?"  asked 
Donald. 

"Do  you  want  her,  Don  John?"  demanded  the 
captain. 

"I  couldn't  afford  to  keep  her;  but  I  will  sell 
her  for  you." 

' '  Sell—  "  it  is  no  matter  what ;  but  Captain  Shiv 
ernock  suddenly  leaped  back  into  Donald's  boat, 
and  her  skipper  wondered  what  he  intended  to  do 
next.  "She  is  yours,  Don  John! "  he  exclaimed. 

"To  sell  for  you?" 
7 


98  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"No!  Sell  her,  if  you  like,  but  put  the 
money  in  your  own  pocket.  I  will  sail  up  in 
your  boat,  and  you  may  go  to  Jerusalem  in  the 
Juno,  if  you  like.  I  will  never  get  into  her 
again,"  added  the  captain,  spitefully. 

"But,  Captain  Shiveruock,  you  surely  don't 
mean  to  give  me  this  boat." 

"Do  you  think  I  don't  know  what  I  mean?" 
roared  the  strange  man,  after  a  long  string  of 
expletives.  "She  is  yours,  now;  not  mine.  I'll 
give  you  a  bill  of  sale  as  soon  as  I  go  ashore. 
Not  another  word,  or  I'll  pound  your  head. 
Don't  tell  anybody  I  gave  her  to  you,  or  that 
you  have  seen  me.  If  you  do  there  will  be  a  job 
for  a  coffin-maker."  » 

The  captain  shoved  off  the  boat,  and  laid  her 
course  across  the  bay,  evidently  to  avoid  Laud 
Cavendish,  whose  craft  was  a  mile  distant ;  for  he 
had  probably  put  in  at  Sear  sport.  Donald 
weighed  the  anchor  of  the  Juno,  and  sailed  for 
Turtle  Head,  hardly  knowing  whether  he  was 
himself  or  somebody  else,  so  amazed  was  he  at 
the  strange  conduct  of  his  late  passenger.  He 
could  not  begin  to  comprehend  it,  and  he  did  not 
have  to  strain  his  logic  very  much  in  coming  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  captain  was  insane. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  99 


CHAPTER   VI. 

DONALD  GETS    THE  JOB. 

WHETHER  Captain  Shivernock  was  sane  or 
insane,  Donald  Ramsay  was  in  possession 
of  the  Juno.  Of  course  he  did  not  consider  himself 
the  proprietor  of  the  craft,  if  he  did  of  the  sixty 
dollars  he  had  in  his  pocket.  She  had  the  wind 
over  her  port  quarter,  and  the  boat  tore  through  the 
water  as  if  she  intended  to  show  her  new  skipper 
what  she  could  do.  But  Donald  paid  little  atten 
tion  to  the  speed  of  the  Juno,  for  his  attention 
was  wholly  absorbed  by  the  remarkable  events  of 
the  morning.  Captain  Shivernock  had  given  him 
sixty  dollars  in  payment  nominally  for  the  slight 
service  rendered  him.  But  then,  the  strange 
man  had  given  a  poor  laborer  a  hundred  dollars 
for  stopping  his  horse,  when  the  animal  leisurely 
walked  towards  home  from  the  store  where  the 
owner  had  left  him.  Again,  he  had  given  a 


100  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OK 

negro  sailor  a  fifty-dollar  bill  for  sculling  him   v 
across  the  river.     He  had  rewarded  a  small  boy 
with  a  ten-dollar  bill  for  bringing  him  a  despatch 
from   the   telegraph    office.      When   the   woman 
who  went  to  his  house  to   do  the  wTashinsf  was 

o 

taken  sick,  and  was  not  able  to  work  for  three 
months,  he  regularly  called  at  her  rooms  every 
Monday  morning  and  gave  her  ten  dollars,  which 
was  three  times  as  much  as  she  ever  earned  in 
the  same  time. 

Remembering  these  instances  of  the  captain's 
bounty,  Donald  had  no  doubt  about  the  owner 
ship  of  the  sixty  dollars  in  .his  pocket.  The 
money  was  his  own;  but  how  had  he  earned  it? 
Was  he  paid  to  keep  his  tongue  still,  or  simply 
for  the  service  performed?  If  for  his  silence, 
what  had  the  captain  done  which  made  him  de 
sire  to  conceal  the  fact  that  he  had  been  to  the 
island?  The  strange  man  had  explicitly  denied 
having  killed,  robbed,  or  stolen  from  anybody. 
All  the  skipper  could  make  of  it  was,  that  his 
desire  for  silence  was  only  a  whim  of  the  cap 
tain,  and  he  was  entirely  willing  to  accommodate 
him.  If  there  had  been  any  mischief  done  on 
the  island,  he  should  hear  of  it;  and  in  that 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BtrrLDEtt. 


event  he  would  tuke  counsel  of  some  one  older 
and  wiser  than  himself.  Then  he  tried  to  satisfy 
himself  as  to  why  the  captain  had  walked  tit 
least  three  miles  to  Turtle  Head,  instead  of  wait 
ing  till  the  tide  floated  the  Juno.  This  appeared 
to  be  also  a  whim  of  the  strange  man.  People 
in  the  city  used  to  say  it  was  no  use  to  ask 
the  reason  for  anything  that  Captain  Shiver- 
nock  did.  His  motive  in  giving  Donald  sixty 
dollars  and  his  boat,  which  would  sell  readily  for 
three  hundred  dollars,  and  had  cost  over  five  hun 
dred,  was  utterly  unaccountable. 

Donald  was  determined  not  to  do  anything 
wrong,  and  if  the  captain  had  committed  any  evil 
deed,  he  fully  intended  to  expose  him;  but  he 
meant  to  keep  still  until  he  learned  that  the  evil 
deed  had  been  done.  The  money  in  his  pocket, 
and  that  for  which  the  Juno  could  be  sold,  would 
be  capital  enough  to  enable  him  to  carry  on  the 
business  of  boat-building.  But  he  was  deter 
mined  to  see  Captain  Shivernock  that  very  day  in 
regard  to  the  boat.  Perhaps  the  strange  man 
would  give  him  a  job  to  build  a  centre-board 
yacht,  for  he  wanted  one. 

*  'Hallo!  Juno,  ahoy!"  shouted  Laud  Cav 
endish. 


THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

Donald  threw  the  boat  up  into  the  wind,  under 
the  stern  of  Laud's  craft. 

"I  thought  you  were  going  down  to  Camden," 
said  he.  "You  won't  get  there  to-day  at  this 
rate." 

"I  forgot  some  things  I  wanted,  and  ran  up  to 
Searsport  after  them.  But  what  are  you  doing 
in  the  Juno,  Don  John?" 

"She's  going  to  be  sold,  Laud,"  replied  Donald, 
dodging  the  direct  question.  "Didn't  you  say 
you  wanted  to  buy  a  boat?" 

"I  said  so;  and  I  want  to  buy  one  badly.  I'm 
going  to  spend  my  summer  on  the  water.  What 
does  the  captain  ask  for  her?" 

"I  don't  know  what  the  price  is,  but  I'll  let  you 
know  on  Monday,"  added  Donald,  as  he  filled 
away  again,  for  the  yacht  fleet  was  now  in  sight. 

"Hold  on  a  minute,  Don  John;  I  want  to  talk 
with  you  about  her. ' ' 

"I  can't  stop  now.  I  have  to  go  up  to  the 
Head  and  measure  the  yachts." 

"Don't  say  a  word  to  anybody  about  my  buy 
ing  her,"  added  Laud. 

He  was  soon  out  of  hearing  of  Laud's  voice. 
He  Avoudered  if  the  swell  really  wished  to  buy 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  103 

such  a  boat  as  the  Juno,  and  could  pay  three  hun 
dred  dollars  for  her.  His  father  was  not  a  rich 
man,  and  he  was  out  of  business  himself.  And 
he  wanted  Donald  to  keep  still  too.  What  mo 
tive  had  he  for  wishing  his  proposition  to  be  kept 
in  the  dark?  His  object  was  not  apparent,  and 
Donald  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  conundrum, 
though  he  had  some  painful  doubts  on  the  subject. 
As  he  thought  of  the  matter,  he  turned  to  observe 
the  position  of  the  two  boats  to  the  southward  of 
him.  Directly  ahead  of  Laud's  craft  was  an 
island  which  he  could  not  weather,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  tack.  He  could  not  lay  his  course, 
and  he  had  to  take  a  short  and  then  a  long 
stretch,  and  he  was  now  standing  across  the  bay 
on  the  short  leg.  Captain  Shivernock  had  run 
over  towards  the  Northport  shore,  and  Donald 
thought  they  could  not  well  avoid  coming  within 
hailing  distance  of  each  other.  But  the  Juno 
passed  beyond  the  north-west  point  of  the  island, 
and  he  could  no  longer  see  them.  He  con 
cluded,  however,  that  the  captain  would  not  let 
Laud,  or  any  one  else,  see  him  afloat  that  day. 
He  was  a  very  strange  man. 

Donald  ran  the   Juno   around  the  point,  and 


104  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

anchored  her  under  the  lee  of  Turtle  Head.  The 
fleet  was  still  a  couple  of  miles  distant,  and  after 
he  had  lowered  and  secured  the  mainsail,  he  had 
nothing  to  do  but  examine  the  fine  craft  which 
had  so  strangely  come  into  his  possession.  He 
went  into  the  cuddy  forward,  and  overhauled 
everything  there,  till  he  was  fully  qualified  to  set 
forth  the  merits  of  her  accommodations  to  a  pur 
chaser.  The  survey  was  calculated  to  kindle  his 
own  enthusiasm,  for  Donald  was  as  fond  of  boat 
ing  as  any  young  man  in  the  club.  The  idea  of 
keeping  the  Juno  for  his  own  use  occurred  to 
him,  but  he  resisted  the  temptation,  and  deter 
mined  not  even  to  think  of  such  an  extravagant 
plan. 

The  yacht  fleet  was  now  approaching,  the  Sky 
lark  gallantly  leading  the  way,  and  the  Christa- 
bel,  with  a  reef  in  her  mainsail,  bringing  up  the 
rear.  The  Sea  Foam  did  not  seem  to  hold  her 
own  with  the  Skylark,  as  she  had  done  before, 
but  she  was  the  second  to  drop  her  anchor 
under  the  lee  of  Turtle  Head. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Don  John,"  said 
Commodore  Montague,  as  he  discovered  Donald 
in  the  Juno.  "I  was  afraid  you  were  not  com- 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  105 

ing,  and  1  went  up  to  the  shop  to  look  for  you. 
But  how  came  you  in  that  boat?" 

"She  is  for  sale,"  replied  Donald,  as  the  tender 
of  the  Skylark  came  alongside  the  Juno,  and  he 
stepped  into  it.  "Do  you  know  of  anybody  that 
wants  to  buy  her?" 

"I  know  three  or  four  who  want  boats,  but  I 
am  not  sure  the  Juno  would  suit  either  of 
them,"  replied  the  commodore. 

The  boat  pulled  to  the  shore,  and  no  one  asked 
any  more  questions  about  the  Juno,  or  her  late 
owner.  The  members  of  the  club  on  board  of 
the  several  yachts  landed,  and  Donald  was  soon 
in  earnest  conversation  with  Samuel  Rodman. 

"What  does  your  father  say?"  he  asked. 

"He  wants  to  see  you,"  replied  Samuel. 

"Does  he  think  I  can't  do  the  job?" 

"He  did  not  think  so  at  first,  but  when  I  told 
him  you  would  employ  one  or  two  regular  ship 
carpenters,  he  was  satisfied,  and  I  think  he  will 
give  you  the  job." 

"I  hope  he  will,  and  I  am  sure  I  can  give 
him  as  good  work  as  he  can  get  anywhere." 

"I  haven't  any  doubt  of  it,  Don  John.  But 
the  Sea  Foam  isn't  doing  so  well  as  she  did  the 


106  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

first  day  you  had  her  out.  The  Skylark  beats 
her  every  time  they  sail." 

"Ned  Patterdale  hasn't  got  the  hang  of  her 
yet/' 

"Perhaps  not." 

"I  should  like  to  have  Bob  Montague  sail 
her,  and  Ned  the  Skylark;  I  think  it  would 
make  a  difference,"  added  Donald.  "Ned  does 
very  well,  but  a  skipper  must  get  used  to  his 
boat;  and  he  hasn't  had  much  experience  in 
yachts  as  large  as  the  Sea  Foam.  I  spoke  to  you 
of  a  change  in  the  model  for  the  Maud;  and  if 
I'm  not  greatly  mistaken,  she  will  beat  both  the 
Sea  Foam  and  the  Skylark." 

"I  would  give  all  my  spending-money  for  a 
year,  over  and  above  the  cost,  if  she  would  do 
that,"  replied  Rodman,  with  a  snap  of  the  eye. 

"Of  course  I  can't  promise  that  she  will  do 
it,  but  I  expect  she  will,"  said  Donald. 

The  club  assembled  under  the  trees,  and  the 
members  were  called^to  order  by  the  commodore. 
The  first  business  was  to  hear  the  report  of  the 
Regatta  Committee,  which  proved  to  be  a  very 
interesting  document  to  the  yachtmen.  The 
race  was  to  take  place  the  next  Saturday,  and 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  107 

was  open  to  all  yachts  exceeding  twenty  feet  in 
length,  duly  entered  before  the  time.  All  were 
to  sail  in  the  same  class;  the  first  prize  was  a 
silver  vase,  and  the  second  a  marine  glass.  The 
course  was  to  be  from  the  judge's  boat,  in  Belfast 
harbor,  by  Turtle  Head,  around  the  buoy  on 
Stubb's  Point  Ledge,  leaving  it  on  the  port  hand, 
and  back  to  the  starting-point.  The  sailing  reg 
ulations  already  adopted  by  the  club  were  to  bo 
in  full  force.  The  report  was  accepted,  and  the 
members  looked  forward  with  eager  anticipation 
to  what  they  regarded  as  the  greatest  event  of  the 
season.  Other  business  was  transacted,  and 
Donald,  who  had  brought  with  him  a  measuring 
tape  and  plummet,  measured  all  the  yachts  of  the 
club.  Dinner  was  served  on  board  of  each  craft, 
and  the  commodore  extended  the  hospitalities  of 
the  Skylark  to  Donald. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  fleet  made  an  excursion 
around  Long  Island,  returning  to  Belfast  about 
six  o'clock,  Donald  sailing  the  Juno,  and  catch 
ing  a  mess  of  fish  off  Haddock  Ledge.  He 
moored  her  off  the  shop,  and  was  rather  surprised 
to  find  that  his  own  boat  had  not  yet  been  re 
turned.  After  supper  he  hastened  to  the  house 


108  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OK 

of  Mr.  Rodman,  with  whom  he  had  a  long  talk  in 
regard  to  the  building  of  the  Maud.  The  gentle 
man  had  some  doubts  about  the  ability  of  the 
young  boat-builder  to  do  so  large  a  job,  though 
he  desired  to  encourage  him. 

"I  am  willing  to  give  you  the  work,  and  to 
pay  you  the  same  price  your  father  had  for  the 
Sea  Foam;  but  I  don't  like  to  pay  out  money  till 
I  know  that  you  are  to  succeed,"  said  he. 

"I  don't  ask  you  to  do  so,  sir,"  replied  Don 
ald,  warmly.  "You  need  not  pay  me  a  cent  till 
you  are  perfectly  satisfied." 

"But  I  supposed  you  would  want  money  to 
buy  stock  and  pay  your  men,  even  before  you  had 
set  up  your  frame." 

"No,  sir;  we  have  capital  enough  to  make  a 
beginning. ' ' 

"I  am  satisfied  then,  and  you  shall  have  the 
job,"  added  Mr.  Rodman. 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  replied  Donald,  delighted 
at  his  success. 

*  'You  may  go  to  work  as  soon  as  you  please ; 
and  the  sooner  the  better,  for  Samuel  is  in  a 
great  hurry  for  his  yacht. ' ' 

"I  will  go  to  work  on  Monday  morning.     The 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  109 

model,  moulds,  and  drawings  are  all  ready,  and 
there  will  be  no  delay,  sir,"  answered  the  young 
boat-builder,  as  he  took  his  leave  of  his  consider 
ate  patron. 

Perhaps  Mr.  Rodman  was  not  satisfied  that  the 
young  man  would  succeed  in  the  undertaking,  but 
he  had  not  the  heart  to  discourage  one  who  was 
so  earnest.  He  determined  to  watch  the  progress 
of  the  work  very  closely,  and  if  he  discovered 
that  the  enterprise  was  not  likely  to  be  successful, 
he  intended  to  stop  it  before  much  time  or 
money  had  been  wasted.  Donald  had  fully  de 
tailed  the  means  at  his  command  for  doing  the 
job  in  a  workman-like  manner,  and  he  was  well 
known  as  an  ingenious  and  skilful  mechanic. 
Mr.  Rodman  had  strong  hopes  that  the  young 
man  would  succeed  in  his  undertaking. 

Donald  walked  toward  the  house  of  Captain 
Shivernock,  congratulating  himself  on  the  happy 
issue  of  his  interview  with  Mr.  Rodman.  As  he 
passed  the  book  and  periodical  store,  he  saw 
Lawrence  Kennedy,  a  ship  carpenter,  who  had  for 
merly  worked"  with  Mr.  Ramsay,  standing  at  the 
door,  reading  the  weekly  paper  just  from  the 
press.  This  man  was  out  of  work,  and  was  talk- 


110  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

ing  of  going  to  Bath  to  find  employment.  Don 
ald  had  already  thought  of  him  as  one  of  his 
hands,  for  Kennedy  was  a  capital  mechanic. 

" What's  the  news?"  asked  Donald,  rather  to 
open  the  way  to  what  he  had  to  say,  than  because 
he  was  interested  in  the  latest  intelligence. 

4 'How  are  you,  Donald?"  replied  the  ship 
carpenter.  "There's  a  bit  of  news  from  Lincoln- 
ville,  but  I  suppose  you  heard  it;  for  all  the  town 
is  talking  about  it." 

"I  haven't  heard  it." 

"A  man  in  Lincolnville  was  taken  from  his 
bed  in  the  dead  hour  of  the  night,  and  beaten  to 
a  jelly." 

"Who  was  the  man?" 

"His  name  was  Hasbrook." 

"Hasbrook!"  exclaimed  Donald. 

"Do  you  know  him,  lad?" 

"I  know  of  him;  and  he  has  the  reputation  of 
being  anything  but  an  honest  man." 

"Then  it's  not  much  matter,"  laughed  the  ship 
carpenter. 

"But  who  beat  him?"  asked  Donald. 

"No  one  knows  who  it  was.  Hasbrook 
couldn't  make  him  out;  but  likely  it's  some  one 
the  rogue  has  cheated." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  Ill 

"Hasbrook  must  have  seen  him,"  suggested 
Donald. 

"The  ruffian  was  disguised  with  his  head  in  a 
bit  of  a  bag,  or  something  of  that  sort,  and  he 
never  spoke  a  word  from  first  to  last,"  added 
Kennedy,  looking  over  the  article  in  the  paper. 

Donald  wondered  if  Captain  Shivernock  had 
any  dealings  with  Hasbrook.  He  was  just  the 
man  to  take  the  law  into  his  own  hands,  and 
assault  one  who  had  done  him  a  real  or  a  fancied 
injury.  Donald  began  to  think  he  understood 
why  the  captain  did  not  wish  it  to  be  known 
that  he  was  on  Long  Island  the  night  before. 
But  the  outrage  had  been  committed  in  Lincoln- 
ville,  which  bordered  the  western  arm  of  Penob- 
scot  Bay.  It  was  three  miles  from  the  main  land 
to  the  island.  If  the  captain  was  in  Lincolnville 
in  "the  dead  of  night,"  on  a  criminal  errand, 
what  was  he  doing  near  Seal  Harbor,  where  the 
Juno  was  aground,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing?  If  he  was  the  guilty  party,  he  would  natu 
rally  desire  to  get  home  before  daylight.  The 
wind  was  fair  for  him  to  do  so,  and  there  was 
enough  of  it  to  enable  the  Juno  to  make  the  run 
in  less  than  two  hours.  It  did  not  seem  probable, 


112  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

therefore,  that  the  captain  had  gone  over  to  the 
other  side  of  the  bay,  three  miles  off  his  course. 
Besides,  he  was  not  disguised,  but  wore  his  usual 
gray  suit;  and  Hasbrook  ought  to  have  been  abta 
to  recognize  him  by  his  form  and  his  dress  evei; 
in  the  darkest  night. 

Donald  was  perplexed  and  disturbed.  If  there 
was  any  probability  that  Captain  Shivernock  had 
committed  the  crime,  our  hero  was  not  to  be 
bribed  by  sixty  or  six  thousand  dollars  to  keep 
the  secret.  If  guilty,  he  would  have  been  more 
likely  to  go  below  and  turn  in  than  to  walk  three 
miles  on  the  island  for  assistance,  and  he  would 
not  have  gone  three  miles  off  his  course.  But 
Donald  determined  to  inquire  into  the  matter, 
and  do  his  whole  duty,  even  if  the  strange  man 
killed  him  for  it.  Kennedy  was  reading  his 
paper  while  the  young  man  was  thinking  over  the 
case;  but,  having  decided  what  to  do,  he  inter 
rupted  the  ship  carpenter  again. 

"Are  you  still  out  of  work,  Mr.  Kennedy?"  he 
asked. 

"I  am;  and  I  think  I  shall  go  to  Bath  next 
week,"  replied  Kennedy. 

"I  know  of  a  job  for  you. " 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  113 

"Do  you,  lad?  I  don't  want  to  move  away 
from  Belfast,  and  I  should  be  glad  to  get  work 
here.  What's  the  job?" 

"We  are  going  to  build  a  yacht  of  the  size  of 
the  Sea  Foam. ' ' 

"Who?"  inquired  the  workman. 

"My  mother  and  I  intend  to  carry  on  my 
father's  business." 

"And  you  wish  me  to  manage  it  for  you?" 

"No;  I  intend  to  manage  it  myself,"  added 
Donald,  confidently. 

"Well,  lad,  you  are  clever  enough  to  do  it; 
and  if  you  are  like  your  father,  I  shall  be  glad 
to  work  for  you." 

The  wages  were  agreed  upon,  and  Kennedy 
promised  to  be  at  the  shop  on  Monday  morning, 
to  assist  the  young  boat-builder  in  selecting  the 
stock  for  the  Maud.  Donald  walked  to  the 
house  of  Captain  Shiver  nock.  In  the  yard  he 
found  Sykes,  the  man  who  did  all  sorts  of  work 
for  his  employer,  from  taking  care  of  the  horses 
up  to  negotiating  mortgages.  Donald  had  occa 
sionally  been  to  the  house,  and  he  knew  Sykes 
well  enough  to  pass  the  time  of  day  with  him 
when  they  met  in  the  street. 
8 


114  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"Is  Captain  Shivernock  at  home?"  asked  the 
young  man,  trying  to  appear  indifferent,  for  he 
wanted  to  get  as  much  information  in  regard  to 
the  strange  man's  movements  during  the  last 
twenty-four  hours  as  possible. 

"No,  he  is  not,"  replied  Sykes,  who  to  some 
extent  aped  the  manners  of  his  eccentric  em 
ployer. 

"Not  at  home!"  exclaimed  Donald,  who  had 
not  expected  this  answer,  though  he  had  not 
found  his  own  boat  at  her  moorings  on  his  return 
from  the  excursion  with  the  fleet. 

"Are  you  deaf,  young  man?" 

"No,  sir;  not  at  all." 

"Then  you  heard  me  say  he  was  not  at 
home,"  growled  Sykes. 

"I  want  to  see  him  very  much.  Will  he  be 
long  away?"  asked  Donald. 

"I  can't  tell  you.  He  won't  come  back  till 
he  gets  ready,  if  it  isn't  for  a  month." 

"Of  course  not;  but  I  should  like  to  know 
when  I  can  probably  see  him." 

"You  can  probably  see  him  when  he  comes 
home.  He  started  in  his  boat  for  Vinal  Haven 
early  this  morning." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  115 

" This  morning?"  repeated  Donald,  who  wished 
to  be  sure  on  this  point. 

* 'Didn't  I  say  so?  This  morning.  He  comes 
back  when  he  pleases." 

"When    do   you   expect   him?" 

"I  don't  expect  him.  I  never  expect  him.  He 
may  be  home  in  five  minutes,  in  five  days,  or 
five  weeks." 

"At  what  time  this  morning  did  he  go?" 

"He  left  the  house  at  five  minutes  after  four 
this  morning,  the  last  that  ever  was.  I  looked 
at  my  watch  when  he  went  out  at  the  gate;  for 
I  was  thinking  whether  or  no  his  boat  wasn't 
aground.  Do  you  want  to  know  what  he  had 
for  breakfast?  If  you  do,  you  must  ask  my 
wife,  for  I  don't  know,"  growled  Sykes. 

"I  am  very  anxious  to  see  him,"  continued 
Donald,  without  heeding  the  sulky  tones  and 
manner  of  the  man.  "Perhaps  he  told  Mrs. 
Sykes  when  he  should  return." 

"Perhaps  ho  did,  and  perhaps  he  told  her 
how  much  money  he  had  in  his  pocket.  He  was 
as  likely  to  tell  her  one  as  the  other.  You  can 
ask  her,"  sneered  Sykes. 

As  the  housekeeper  sat  on  the  piazza  enjoying 
the  cool  evening  breeze,  Donald  decided  to  avail 


116  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

himself  of  this  permission,  for  he  desired  to  know 
how  well  the  two  stories  would  agree.  He  saluted 
the  lady,  who  gave  him  a  pleasanter  reception 
than  her  bearish  husband  had  accorded  to  him. 

4 'Mr.  Sykes  told  me  that  Captain  Shivernock 
was  away  from  home,"  said  Donald.  "Can  you 
tell  me  when  he  is  likely  to  return?" 

"He  intended  to  come  back  to-night  if  the 
wind  favored  him.  He  went  to  Vinal  Haven 
early  this  morning,  and  as  you  are  a  sailor,  you 
can  tell  better  than  I  whether  he  is  likely  to  re 
turn  to-night,"  replied  Mrs.  Sykes. 

"The  wind  is  fair,  and  there  is  plenty  of  it," 
added  Donald.  "What  time  did  he  leave?" 

"About  four  o'clock.  I  gave  him  his  coffee  at 
half  past  three,  and  it  must  have  been  about  four 
when  he  went  away." 

If  the   outrage   at  Lincolnville  had  been  com- 

o 

mitted  in  "the  dead  of  the  night,"  it  was  per 
fectly  evident  to  Donald  that  Captain  Shivernock 
had  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  it.  This 
conclusion  was  a  great  relief  to  the  mind  of  the 
young  man ;  but  he  had  hardly  reached  it  before 
the  captain  himself  passed  through  the  gate,  and 
fixed  a  searching  gaze  upon  him,  as  though  he  re 
garded  him  as  an  interloper. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  117 


CHAPTER 

LAYING    DOWN    THE    KEEL. 

"TTTHAT  are  you  doing  here,  Don  John?" 
T  T  demanded  Captain  Shiver  nock,  as  he 
ascended  the  steps  of  the  piazza. 

"I  came  to  see  you,  sir,"  replied  Donald,  re 
spectfully. 

4 'Well,  you  see  me — don't  you?" 

"I  do,  sir." 

"Have  you  been  talking  to  Sykes  and  his 
wife?"  asked  the  captain,  sternly. 

"I  have,  sir." 

"Have  you  told  them  that  you  saw  me  on  the 
island?" 

"No,  sir;  not  them,  nor  anybody  else." 

"It's  well  for  you  that  you  haven't,"  added 
the  captain,  shaking  his  head — a  significant  ges 
ture,  which  seemed  to  relate  to  the  future,  rather 
than  to  the  present.  "If  you  lisp  a  syllable  of 


"U8  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

it,  you  will  need  a  patch  on  your  skull. — Now," 
he  continued,  "what  do  you  want  of  me  ?" 

"I  wanted  to  talk  about  the  Juno  with  you. 
Perhaps  I  can  find  a  customer  for  you." 

"Come  into  the  house,"  growled  the  captain, 
as  he  stalked  through  the  door. 

Donald  followed  him  into  a  sitting-room,  on 
one  side  of  which  was  a  secretary,  provided  with 
a  writing-desk.  The  captain  tossed  his  cap  and 
overcoat  into  a  chair,  and  seated  himself  at  the 
desk.  He  picked  up  a  quill  pen,  and  began 
to  write  as  though  he  intended  to  scratch  a  hole 
through  the  paper,  making  noise  enough  for  a 
small  locomotive.  He  finished  the  writing,  and 
signed  his  name  to  it.  Then  he  cast  the  contents 

O 

of  a  sand-box  upon  it,  returning  to  it  the  portion 
which  did  not  adhere  to  the  paper.  The  docu 
ment  looked  as  though  it  had  heen  written  with 
a  handspike,  or  as  though  the  words  had  been 
ploughed  in,  and  a  furrow  of  sand  left  to  form 
the  letters. 

"Here!"  said  the  captain,  extending  the  paper 
to  his  visitor,  with  a  jerk,  as  though  he  was  per 
forming  a  most  ungracious  office. 

"What  is  it,  sir?"  asked  Donald,  as  he  too 
the  document. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  119 

''Can't  you  read?"  growled  the   strange   man. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  Donald  could 
read — could  read  writing  when  not  more  than 
half  the  letters  were  merged  into  straight  lines ; 
but  it  required  all  his  skill,  and  not  a  little  of  his 
Scotch- Yankee  guessing  ability,  to  decipher  the 
vagrant,  staggering  characters  which  the  captain 
had  impressed  with  so  much  force  upon  the  paper. 
It  proved  to  be  a  bill  of  sale  of  the  Juno,  in  due 
form,  and  for  the  consideration  of  three  hundred 
dollars. 

44 Surely  you  cannot  mean  this,  Captain  Shiver- 
nock?"  exclaimed  the  amazed  young  man. 

"Can't  I?  Do  you  think  I'm  a  lunatic?" 
stormed  the  captain. 

Donald  did  think  so,  but  he  was  not  so  impru 
dent  as  to  say  it. 

"I  can't  pay  you  three  hundred  dollars  for  the 
boat,"  pleaded  he. 

"Nobody  asked  you  to  pay  a  red  cent.  The 
boat  is  yours.  If  you  don't  want  her,  sell  her  to 
the  first  man  who  is  fool  enough  to  buy  her. 
That's  all." 

"I'm  very  grateful  to  you  for  your  kindness, 
Captain  Shivernock;  and  I  hope—" 


120  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OE 

"All  stuff!"  interposed  the  strange  man,  sav^ 
agely.  "You  are  like  the  rest  of  the  world,  and 
next  week  you  would  be  as  ready  to  kick  me  as 
any  other  man  would  be,  if  you  dared  to  do  so. 
You  needn't  stop  any  longer  to  talk  that  sort  of 
bosh  to  me.  It  will  do  for  Sunday  Schools  and 
prayer  meetings." 

"But  I  am  really — " 

"No  matter  if  you  are  really.     Shut  up! " 

"I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  do  something  to 
serve  you." 

"Bah!" 

"Have  you  heard  the  news,  Captain  Shiver- 
nock?"  asked  Donald,  suddenly  changing  the 
topic. 

"What  news?" 

"It's  in  the  Age.  A  man  over  in  Lincoln- 
ville,  by  the  name  of  Hasbrook,  was  taken  out  of 
his  bed  last  night,  and  severely  beaten." 

"Hasbrook!  Served  him  right!"  exclaimed 
the  captain,  with  a  rough  string  of  profanity, 
which  cooled  the  blood  of  the  listener.  "He  is 
the  biggest  scoundrel  in  the  State  of  Maine,  and 
I  am  much  obliged  to  the  man  who  did  it.  I 
would  have  taken  a  hand  with  him  at  the  game, 
if  I  had  been  there." 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  121 

This  was  equivalent  to  saying  that  he  was  not 
there. 

1  'Do  you  know  this  Hasbrook?"  asked  Donald. 

"Do  I  know  him?  He  swindled  me  out  of  a 
thousand  dollars,  and  I  ought  to  know  him.  If 
the  man  that  flogged  him  hasn't  finished  him,  I'll 
pound  him  myself  when  I  catch  him  in  the 
right  place,"  replied  the  strange  man,  violently. 
"Who  did  the  job,  Don  John?" 

"I  don't  know,  sir.  He  hasn't  been  discov 
ered  yet." 

"If  he  is  discovered,  I'll  give  him  five  hundred 
dollars,  and  pay  the  lawyers  for  keeping  him  out 
of  jail.  I  wish  I  had  done  it  myself;  it  would 
make  me  feel  good." 

Donald  was  entirely  satisfied  that  Captain  Shiv- 
ernock  had  not  done  it.  He  was  pleased,  even 
rejoiced,  that  his  investigation  had  resulted  so 
decidedly  in  the  captain's  favor,  for  he  would 
have  been  very  sorry  to  feel  obliged  to  disregard 
the  injunction  of  secrecy  which  had  been  imposed 
upon  him. 

"Did  you  fall  in  with  any  one  after  we  parted 
this  morning?"  asked  Donald,  who  desired  to 
know  whether  the  captain  had  met  Laud  Caven- 


122  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

dish  when  the  two  boats  appeared  to  be  approach* 
ing  each  other. 

"None  of  your  business !"  rudely  replied  the 
captain,  after  gazing  a  moment  into  the  face  of 
the  young  man,  as  if  to  fathom  his  purpose  in 
asking  the  question.  "Do  you  think  the  world 
won't  move  on  if  you  don't  wind  it  up?  Mind 
your  own  business,  and  don't  question  me.  I 
won't  have  anybody  prying  into  my  affairs." 

"Excuse  me,  sir;  I  don't  wish  to  pry  into  your 
affairs ;  aud  with  your  permission  I  will  go  home 
now,"  replied  Donald. 

"You  have  my  permission  to  go  homo," 
sneered  the  strange  man;  and  Donald  availed 
himself  of  it  without  another  instant's  delay. 

Certainly  Captain  Shivernock  was  a  very 
strange  man,  and  Donald  could  not  begin  to  un 
derstand  why  he  had  given  him  the  Juno  and  the 
sixty  dollars  in  cash.  It  was  plain  enough  that 
he  had  not  been  near  Hasbrook's  house,  though 
it  was  not  quite  clear  how,  if  he  left  home  at  four- 
o'clock,  he  had  got  aground  eight  miles  from  tho 
city  at  the  same  hour;  but  there  was  probably 
some  error  in  Donald's  reckoning.  The  young 
man  went  home,  and,  on  the  way,  having  assured 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  123 

himself,  to  his  own  satisfaction,  that  he  had  no 
painful  duty  in  regard  to  the  captain  to  perform, 
he  soon  forgot  all  about  the  matter  in  the  more 
engrossing  consideration  of  his  great  business 
enterprise.  When  he  entered  the  cottage,  his 
mother  very  naturally  asked  him  where  he  had 
been ;  and  he  gave  her  all  the  details  of  his  inter 
view  with  Mr.  Rodman.  Mrs.  Ramsay  was  more 
cheerful  than  she  had  been  before  since  the  death 
of  her  husband,  and  they  discussed  the  subject 
till  bed  time.  Donald  had  seventy-two  dollars 
in  his  pocket,  including  his  fees  for  measuring 
the  yachts.  It  was  a  new  experience  for  him  to 
keep  anything  from  his  mother ;  but  he  felt  that 
he  could  not  honorably  tell  her  what  had  passed 
between  the  captain  and  himself.  He  could  soon 
work  the  money  into  his  business,  and  he  need 
keep  it  only  till  Monday.  He  did  not  feel  just 
right  about  it,  even  after  he  had  convinced  him 
self  that  he  ought  not  to  reveal  Captain  Shiver- 
nock's  secret  to  her;  but  I  must  add,  confiden 
tially,  that  it  is  always  best  for  boys — I  mean 
young  men- — to  tell  their  mothers  "all  about  it;" 
and  if  Donald  had  done  so  in  this  instance,  no 
harm  would  have  come  of  the  telling,  and  it 


124  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

might  have  saved  him  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and 
her  a  great  deal  of  anxiety,  and  a  great  many 
painful  doubts.  Donald  thought  his  view  was 
correct;  he  meant  to  do  exactly  right;  and  he 
had  the  courage  to  do  it,  even  if  thereby  he  in 
curred  the  wrath  and  the  vengeance  of  the  strange 
man. 

I  have  no  doubt,  from  what  indications  I  have 
of  the  character  of  Donald  Ramsay,  that  he  tried 
to  learn  his  Sunday  School  lesson,  tried  to  give 
attention  to  the  sermons  he  heard,  and  tried  to 
be  interested  in  the  good  books  he  essayed  to 
read  on  Sunday ;  but  I  am  not  sure  that  he  suc 
ceeded  entirely,  for  the  skeleton  frame  of  the 
Maud  would  rise  up  in  his  imagination  to  cloud 
the  vision  of  higher  things,  and  the  remembrance 
of  his  relations  with  Captain  Shivernock  would 
thrust  itself  upon  him.  Yet  it  is  a  great  deal 
even  to  try  to  be  faithful  in  one's  thoughts,  and 
Donald  was  generally  more  successful  than  on 
this  occasion,  for  it  was  not  often  that  he  was  ex 
cited  by  events  so  stirring  and  prospects  so  bril 
liant.  A  single  week  would  be  time  enough  to 
accustom  the  young  boat-builder  to  his  occupation 
and  restore  his  mental  equilibrium. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-GUILDER.  125 

The  light  of  Monday  morning's  sun  was  very 
welcome  to  him ;  and  when  only  its  light  gleamed 
in  the  gray  east,  he  rose  from  his  bed  to  begin 
the  labors  of  the  day.  His  father  had  enlarged 
the  shop,  so  that  he  could  build  a  yacht  of  the 
size  of  the  Maud  under  its  roof;  and  before 
breakfast  time,  he  had  prepared  the  bed,  and  lev 
elled  the  blocks  on  which  the  keel  was  to  rest. 
At  seven  o'clock  Lawrence  Kennedy  appeared, 
and  together  they  looked  over  the  stock  on  hand, 
and  made  out  a  list  of  the  pieces  of  timber  and 
plank  that  would  be  required.  At  first  the  jour 
neyman  was  inclined  to  take  the  lead  in  the 
business;  but  he  soon  found  that  his  youthful  em 
ployer  was  entirely  familiar  with  the  minutest 
details  of  the  work,  and  knew  precisely  how  to 
get  out  every  stick  of  the  frame.  Donald  con 
stantly  referred  to  the  model  of  the  Sea  Foam, 
which  he  had  already  altered  in  accordance  with 
the  suggestions  of  his  father,  using  the  inch  scale 
on  which  the  model  was  projected,  to  get  the  size 
of  the  pieces,  so  that  there  should  be  no  unneces 
sary  waste  in  buying. 

Kennedy  went  with  him  to  the  lumber  wharf, 
where  the  stock  was  carefully  selected  for  the 


126  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

frame.  Before  dinner  it  was  carted  over  to  the 
shop,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  work  was  actually 
commenced.  The  keelson,  with  the  aperture  for 
the  centre-board  nicely  adjusted,  was  laid  down, 
levelled,  and  blocked  up,  so  that  the  yacht  should 
be  as  true  as  a  hair  when  completed.  The  next 
steps  were  to  set  up  the  stern-post  and  the  stem- 
piece,  and  Mr.  Ramsay's  patterns  of  these  timbers 
were  ready  for  use.  Donald  was  tired  enough  to 
rest  when  the  clock  struck  six;  but  no  better 
day's  work  for  two  men  could  be  showu  than  that 
performed  by  him  and  his  journeyman.  Another 
hand  could  now  work  to  advantage  on  the  frame, 
and  Kennedy  knew  of  a  first-rate  workman  who 
desired  employment.  He  ^as  requested  to  have 
him  in  the  shop  the  next  morning. 

After  supper,  Donald  went  back  to  the  shop  to 
study,  rather  than  to  work.  He  seated  himself 
on  the  bench,  and  was  thinking  over  the  details 
of  the  work,  when,  through  the  window,  he  saw 
Laud  Cavendish  run  his  sail-boat  alongside  the 
Juno,  which  was  moored  a  short  distance  from  the 
shore.  Laud  wanted  to  buy  a  boat,  and  Donald 
wanted  to  sell  one.  More  than  once  he  had  been 
tempted  to  keep  the  Juno  for  his  own  use ;  but  he 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDEK.  127 

decided  that  he  could  not  afford  such  a  luxury, 
even  though  she  had  cost  him  nothing.  If  he 
kept  her,  he  would  desire  to  use  her,  and  he 
might  waste  too  much  of  his  precious  time  in 
sailing  her.  It  would  cost  money  as  well  as  time 
to  keep  her ;  for  boats  are  always  in  need  of  paint, 
spars,  sails,  rigging,  and  other  repairs.  He  was 
resolute  in  his  purpose  to  dispose  of  the  Juno, 
lest  the  possession  of  her  should  demoralize  him, 
and  interfere  with  his  attention  to  business. 

It  was  plain  enough  to  Donald  that  he  must  sell 
the  Juno,  though  it  was  not  as  clear  that  Laud 
Cavendish  could  buy  her;  but  he  decided  to  see 
him,  and,  launching  his  tender,  he  pulled  out  for 
the  Juno.  While  he  was  plying  his  oars,  it  sud 
denly  came  across  the  mind  of  the  young  boat- 
builder  that  he  could  not  sell  this  boat  without 
exposing  his  relations  to  Captain  Shivernock. 
He  was  rather  startled  by  the  thought,  but,  before 
he  had  followed  it  out  to  a  conclusion,  the  tender 
was  alongside  the  Juno. 

" How  are  you,  Don  John?"  said  Laud.  "I 
thought  I  would  come  down  and  look  over  the 
Juno." 

"She  is  a  first-rate  boat,"  replied  Donald. 


128  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

"And  the  captain  wants  to  sell  her?" 

"She's  for  sale,"  replied  her  owner. 

"What's  the  price  of  her?" 

"Four  hundred." 

"That's  too  steep,  Don  John.  It  is  of  no  use 
for  me  to  look  at  her  if  the  captain  won't  sell  her 
for  less  than  that. ' ' 

"Say  three  fifty,  then,"  replied  Donald. 

"Say  three  hundred." 

"She  is  worth  more  money,"  continued  the 
owner,  as  he  unlocked  the  cuddy.  "She  has  a 
fine  cabin,  fitted  up  like  a  parlor.  Go  in  and 
look  round." 

Donald  led  the  way,  and  pointed  out  all  the 
conveniences  of  the  cabin,  eloquently  setting  forth 
the  qualities  of  the  boat  and  her  accommodations. 

"I'll  give  three  hundred  for  her,"   said  Laud. 

"She  is  worth  more  than  that,"  replied  Donald. 
"Why,  she  cost  the  captain  over  five  hundred; 
and  I  wouldn't  build  her  for  a  mill  less  than 
that." 

"You?"  laughed  Laud. 

"I'm  building  a  yacht  thirty  feet  long  for  Sam 
Rodman;  and  I'm  to  have  twelve  hundred  for 
her,"  answered  Donald,  struggling  to  be  modest. 


THE    rOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  120 

"You  are  some  punkins — arn't  you,  Don 
John?" 

"I  can't  quite  come  up  to  you,  Mr.  Cavendish." 

"Perhaps  you  will  when  you  are  as  old  as  I 
am." 

"Possibly;  but  it's  a  big  height  to  reach  in  two 
years.  A  man  of  your  size  ought  not  to  haggle 
for  fifty  dollars  011  a  boat." 

"I  can't  afford  to  give  more  than  three  hundred 
for  the  Juno,"  protested  Laud,  very  decidedly. 

"Can  you  afford  to  give  that?"  asked  Donald, 
with  a  smile. 

Laud  looked  at  him  sharply,  and  seemed  to  be 
somewhat  embarrassed. 

"I  suppose  I  can't  really  afford  it;  but  what's 
life  for?  We  can't  live  it  over  again,  and  we 
ought  to  make  the  best  of  it.  Don't  you  think 

60?" 

"Certainly — the  best  of  it;  but  there  may  be 
some  difference  of  opinion  in  regard  to  what  the 
best  of  it  may  be." 

"I  mean  to  be  a  gentleman,  and  not  a  philoso 
pher.     I  go  in  for  a  good  time.     Will  you  take 
three  hundred  for  the  boat?   or  will  you  tell  tho 
captain  I  will  give  that?" 
9 


130  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"I  can  sell  her  without  going  to  him.  I 
haven't  offered  her  to  anybody  but  you,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  I  can  get  my  price  for  her." 

Laud  talked  till  it  was  nearly  dark;  but  Donald 
was  firm,  and  at  last  he  carried  his  point. 

"I  will  give  the  three  hundred  and  fifty,  because 
I  want  her  very  badly;  but  it's  a  big  price,"  said 
Laud. 

"It's  dog  cheap,"  added  Donald,  who  was 
beginning  to  think  how  he  should  manage  the 
business  without  informing  the  purchaser  that  the 
Juno  was  his  own  property. 

Donald  was  a  young  man  of  many  expedients, 
and  he  finally  decided  to  ask  Captain  Shiveniock 
to  exchange  the  bill  of  sale  for  one  conveying  the 
boat  directly  to  Laud  Cavendish.  This  settled, 
he  wondered  how  Laud  expected  to  pay  for  his 
purchase,  for  it  was  utterly  incredible  to  him  that 
the  swell  could  command  so  large  a  sum  as  three 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  After  all,  perhaps  it 
would  not  be  necessary  to  trouble  the  captain 
about  the  business,  for  Donald  did  not  intend  to 
give  a  bill  of  sale  without  the  cash. 

"When  do  you  want  to  close  the  trade  ?"  he 
asked. 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  131 

"I  thought  we  had  closed  it,"  replied  Laud. 

44 You  want  a  bill  of  sale — don't  you?" 

* 'No,  I  don't;  I  would  rather  not  have  one. 
When  I  get  the  boat,  I  know  how  to  keep  her. 
Besides,  you  will  be  a  witness  that  I  have  bought 
her. " 

"That  isn't  the  way  to  do  business,"  protested 
Donald. 

"If  I'm  satisfied,  you  need  not  complain.  If  I 
pay  you  the  cash  down, that  ends  the  matter." 

"If  you  do." 

"Well,  I  will;  here  and  now,"  added  Laud, 
pulling  out  his  wallet. 

"Where  did  you  get  so  much  money,  Laud?" 
asked  Donald. 

It  was  doubtless  an  impertinent  question,  but  it 
came  from  the  heart  of  him  who  proposed  it ;  and 
it  was  not  resented  by  him  to  whom  it  was  put. 
On  the  contrary,  Laud  seemed  to  be  troubled, 
rather  than  indignant. 

"Don  John,  you  are  a  good  fellow,"  said 
Laud,  after  a  long  pause. 

"Of  course  I  am." 

"For  certain  reasons  of  my  own,  I  want  you  to 
keep  this  trade  to  yourself." 


132  THE    YACHT   CLUB,  OB 


so?" 

"I  can't  tell  you." 

"Then  I  won't  do  it.  If  there  is  any  hitch 
about  the  money,  I  won't  have  anything  to  dc 
with  it." 

"Any  hitch?  What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 
demanded  Laud,  with  a  lofty  air. 

"It's  no  use  to  mince  the  matter,  Laud.  Three 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  don't  grow  on  every 
bush  in  your  or  my  garden;  and  I  have  been 
wondering,  all  the  time,  where  a  fellow  like  you 
should  get  money  enough  to  buy  a  boat  like  the 
Juno." 

Donald  said  all  this  fairly  and  squarely  ;  but  it 
occurred  to  him'  just  then,  that  after  he  had  sold 
the  boat,  any  one  might  ask  him  the  same  ques 
tion,  and  he  should  not  feel  at  liberty  to  answer  it. 

"Do  you  mean  to  insult  me?"  demanded  Laud. 

"Nothing  of  the  sort;  and  you  needn't  ride 
that  high  horse.  I  won't  sell  the  boat  till  I  know 
where  the  money  came  from." 

"Do  you  doubt  my  honor?" 

"Confound  your  honor!  I  think  we  have  said 
enough." 

"If  you  mean  to  say  that  I  didn't  come  honor 
ably  by  my  money,  you  are  mistaken." 


THE  YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  133 

" Where  did  you  get  it,  then?" 

"Are  you  always  willing  to  tell  where  you  get 
every  dollar  in  your  pocket?"  retorted  Laud. 

That  was  a  home-thrust,  and  Donald  felt  it  in 
his  trowsers  pocket,  where  he  kept  his  wallet. 

"I  am  generally  ready  to  tell  where  I  get  my 
money,"  he  replied,  but  he  did  not  speak  with 
much  energy. 

Laud  looked  about  him,  and  seemed  to  be  con 
sidering  the  matter. 

"I  don't  like  to  be  accused  of  stealing,"  mused 
he. 

"I  don't  accuse  you  of  anything,"  added 
Donald. 

4 'It's  the  same  thing.  If  I  tell  you  where  I 
got  this  money,  will  you  keep  it  to  yourself?" 
asked  Laud. 

"If  it's  all  right  I  will.'' 

"Honor  bright,  Don  John?" 

"If  it's  all  right." 

"O,  it  is!"  protested  Laud.  "I  will  tell  you; 
but  you  must  keep  the  secret,  whatever  happens." 

"I  will,  if  everything  is  as  it  should  be." 

"Well,  Captain  Shivernock  gave  it  to  me," 
said  Laud,  in  confidential  tones,  and  after  looking 


134  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

about  to  satisfy  himself  that  no  third  person  was 
within  hearing. 

" Captain  Shivernock ! ' '  exclaimed  Donald. 

"Just  so." 

"What  for?" 

"I  can't  tell  you  any  more.  The  captain 
would  kill  me  if  he  found  out  that  I  had  told  you 
so  much,"  answered  Laud.  "I  don't  understand 
the  matter  myself;  but  the  captain  gave  me  that 
money  and  fifty  dollars  more;"  and  he  handed 
Donald  the  price  of  the  Juno.  "You  are  not  to 
say  that  I  have  even  seen  the  captain." 

"When  was  this?" 

"Last  Saturday;  but  that's  all;  not  another 
word  from  me." 

"It's  very  odd,"  mused  Donald. 

"You  will  keep  still — won't  you?" 

"Yes;  until  I  am  satisfied  the  thing  is  not  all 
right." 

"I  shall  not  say  that  I  own  the  Juno  yet  a 
while,"  added  Laud,  as  he  returned  to  the  boat 
in  which  he  had  come. 

Donald  pulled  ashore,  with  the  money  in  his 
pocket. 


THE  YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  135 


CHAPTER  Vin. 

THE   FIRST   REGATTA. 

DONALD  was  not  disposed  to  doubt  the  truth 
of  Laud  Cavendish's  story,  for  the  circum 
stances  were  precisely  the  same  as  those  under 
which  he  had  received  the  boat  and  the  money 
from  Captain  Shivernock.  If  he  had  had  no  ex 
perience  with  the  eccentric  shipmaster  himself, 
he  would  have  doubted  the  whole  explanation, 
and  refused  to  take  the  money.  He  recalled  the 
events  of  Saturday.  The  last  he  saw  of  Laud,  on 
that  day,  was  when  he  ran  his  boat  over  towards 
the  Northport  shore,  whither  the  captain  had 
gone  before  him.  He  had  lost  sight  of  both  their 
boats  at  a  time  when  it  seemed  very  probable 
that  they  would  meet.  After  what  Laud  had 
just  said  to  him,  and  with  the  money  he  had  paid 
him  in  his  pocket,  he  was  confident  they  had  met. 
The  strange  man  had  purchased  the  silence  of 


136  THE    YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

Laud,  as  he  had  his  own,  and  at  about  the  same 
price. 

Donald  realized  that  Captain  Shivernock  had 
thrown  away  about  seven  hundred  dollars  that 
morning,  and,  as  he  thought  of  it,  he  was  amazed 
at  his  conduct;  but  the  captain  did  not  mind  pay 
ing  a  thousand  dollars  any  time  to  gratify  the 
merest  whim.  The  young  man  tried  again  to 
fathom  the  motive  of  his  eccentric  but  liberal 
patron  in  thus  throwing  away  such  large  sums, 
unnecessarily  large,  to  accomplish  his  object. 
The  Lincolnville  outrage  was  the  only  possible 
solution;  but  if  he  were  the  ruffian,  he  would  not 
have  been  on  Long  Island  when  he  had  a  fair 
wind  to  run  home,  and  Sykes  and  his  wife  both 
agreed  that  he  had  left  the  house  on  the  morning 
that  Donald  had  seen  him.  It  was  not  possible, 
therefore,  that  the  captain  was  guilty  of  the  out 
rage.  Laud  had  paid  him  seven  fifty  dollar  bills, 
and  he  had  over  four  hundred  dollars  in  his 
pocket.  He  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  it, 
and  feeling  that  he  had  come  honestly  by  it,  he 
was  vexed  at  the  necessity  of  concealing  it  from 
his  mother ;  but  he  was  determined  to  pay  it  out, 
as  occasion  required,  for  stock  and  hardware  for 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  137 

the  yacht  he  was  building.  When  he  went  to  his 
chamber,  he  concealed  three  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  of  the  money  in  a  secret  place  in  the  pine 
bureau  in  which  his  clothes  were  kept. 

The  next  morning  Kennedy  appeared  with  the 
man  he  was  authorized  to  employ,  and  the  chips 
flew  briskly  in  the  shop  all  that  day.  At  noon 
Donald  went  to  the  wharf  where  he  had  bought 
his  stock,  and  paid  the  bill  for  it.  The  lumber 
dealer  commended  his  promptness,  and  offered  to 
give  him  credit  for  any  lumber  he  might  need ; 
but  Donald  proudly  declared  that  he  should  pay 
cash  for  all  he  bought,  and  he  wanted  the  lowest 
cash  prices.  On  his  return  to  the  shop,  he  en 
tered,  in  the  account-book  his  father  had  kept, 
the  amount  he  had  expended.  The  work  went 
bravely  on,  for  his  two  journeymen  were  inter 
ested  in  his  success.  They  were  glad  to  get  em 
ployment,  and  desired  that  the  young  boat-builder 
should  not  only  build  a  fine  yacht,  but  should 
make  money  by  the  job.  The  stem-piece  and 
stern-post  were  set  up,  and  gradually  the  frame 
began  to  assume  the  shape  of  a  vessel.  Donald 
watched  the  forming  of  the  yacht  very  carefully, 
and  saw  that  everything  was  done  according  to 
the  model  and  the  scale. 


138  THE   YACHT  CLUB,  OB 

On  Saturday  morning  Mr.  Kodman,  accompa 
nied  by  a  friend  who  was  a  ship-builder,  visited 
the  shop  to  inspect  the  work.  The  frame,  so  far 
as  it  had  been  set  up,  was  carefully  examined,  and 
the  expert  cordially  approved  all  that  had  been 
done,  declaring  that  he  had  never  seen  a  better 
job  in  his  life.  Of  course  Donald  was  proud  of 
this  partial  success. 

"I  have  had  some  doubts,  Don  John,"  laughed 
Mr.  Rodman;  "but  I  am  entirely  satisfied  now." 

"Thank  you,  sir.  I  have  had  no  doubts;  I 
could  see  that  frame  in  my  mind  as  plainly  before 
a  stick  had  been  touched  as  I  do  now. " 

"You  have  done  well,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that 
you  will  make  a  yacht  of  it.  Now,  if  you  will  give 
me  a  receipt  for  one  hundred  dollars,  I  will  let 
you  have  so  much  towards  the  price  of  the  Maud, 
for  I  suppose  you  want  to  pay  your  men  off 
to-night." 

"I  have  money  enough,  sir,  to  pay  my  men, 
and  I  don't  ask  you  for  any  money  yet,"  replied 
the  young  boat-builder. 

"But  I  prefer  to  pay  you  as  the  work  pro 
gresses." 

Donald  did  not  object,  and  wrote  the  receipt. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  139 

He  was  a  minor,  and  his  mother,  who  was  the 
administratrix  of  her  husband's  estate,  was  the 
responsible  party  in  the  transaction  of  business; 
but  he  did  not  like  to  sign  his  mother's  name  to 
a  receipt,  and  thus  wholly  ignore  himself,  and, 
adopting  a  common  fiction  in  trade,  he  wrote, 
"Ramsay  and  son,"  which  he  determined  should 
be  the  style  of  the  firm.  "Ramsay  might  mean 
his  father  or  his  mother,  and  he  had  already 
arranged  this  matter  with  her.  Mr.  Rodman 
laughed  at  the  signature,  but  did  not  object  to  it, 
and  Donald  put  the  money  in  his  pocket,  after 
crediting  it  on  the  book. 

This  was  the  day  appointed  for  the  first  regatta 
of  the  Yacht  Club.  The  coming  event  had  been 
talked  about  in  the  city  during  the  whole  week, 
not  only  among  the  boys,  but  among  the  men 
who  were  interested  in  yachting.  About  a  dozen 
yachts  had  been  entered  for  the  race,  though  only 
four  of  them  belonged  to  the  club;  those  that 
were  not  enrolled  being  nominally  in  charge  of 
members,  in  order  to  conform  to  the  regulations. 
Donald  had  measured  all  these  boats,  and  made  a 
schedule  of  them,  in  which  appeared  the  captain's 
name,  the  length  of  the  craft,  with  the  correction 


140  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OK 

to  be  subtracted  from  the  sailing  time  in  order 
to  reduce  it  to  standard  time.  There  were  col 
umns  in  the  table  for  the  starting  time,  the  return 
time,  and  the  sailing  time.  The  "correction" 
was  virtually  the  allowance  which  a  large  yacht 
made  to  a  smaller  one  for  the  difference  in  length . 
The  club  had  adopted  the  regulation  of  the 
Dorchester  Yacht  Club,  which  contained  a  "table 
of  allowance  per  mile."  In  this  table,  a  yacht 
one  hundred  and  ten  feet  six  inches  long,  is  taken 
as  the  standard  for  length.  The  Skylark  was  just 
thirty  feet  long  on  the  water-line,  and  her  allow 
ance  by  the  table  was  two  minutes  forty-three  and 
four  tenths  seconds  for  every  mile  sailed  in  a 
regatta.  The  Sea  Foam's  length  was  three  inches 

o  O 

less,  and  her  allowance  was  one  and  three  tenths 
seconds  more.  Donald  had  his  table  all  ready  for 
the  use  of  the  judges,  of  whom  he  had  been 
appointed  the  chairman.  Mr.  Montague's  large 
yacht  had  been  anchored  in  the  bay,  gayly  dressed 
with  flags  and  streamers,  to  be  used  as  the  judges' 
boat.  The  yachts  were  to  start  at  ten  o'clock. 

"I  don't  want  to  leave  my  work  a  bit,"  said 
Donald,  as  he  took  off  his  apron.  *  'I  may  have  to 
lose  a  whole  day  in  the  race,  and  1  can't  afford 
it." 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  141 

"Now,  I  think  you  can,"   replied  Kennedy. 

1  'It  looks  too  much  like  boys'  play." 

"No  matter  what  it  is.  If  you  are  going  to 
make  a  business  of  building  yachts  and  sail-boats, 
it  is  for  your  interest  to  encourage  this  sort  of 
thing  all  you  can,"  added  Kennedy. 

"I  think  you  are  right  there,"  answered  Don 
ald,  who  had  not  before  taken  this  view. 

"Besides,  you  ought  to  see  how  tho  boats 
work.  You  will  get  some  ideas  that  will  be  of 
use  to  you.  You  should  observe  every  movement 
of  the  boats  with  the  utmost  care.  I  think  you 
will  make  more  money  attending  the  regattas,  if 
there  was  one  every  week,  than  by  working  in  the 
shop." 

*  'You  are  right,  Kennedy,  and  I  am  glad  you 
expressed  your  opinions,  for  I  shall  feel  that  I 
am  not  wasting  my  time." 

"Your  father  has  been  to  Newport  and  New 
York  on  purpose  to  attend  regattas,  and  I  am 
sure,  if  he  were  here  now,  he  would  not  miss  this 
race  for  a  fifty-dollar  bill,"  continued  the  work 
man. 

Donald  was  entirely  satisfied,  and  went  into 
the  house  to  dress  for  the  occasion.  He  was  soon 


142  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

ready,  and  walked  down  the  beach  towards  the 
skiff  he  used  to  go  off  to  the  sail-boat.  The  sky 
was  overcast,  and  the  wind  blew  a  smashing 
breeze,  promising  a  lively  race.  The  Juno  had 
been  entered  for  the  regatta,  but  she  was  still  at 
her  moorings  off  the  shop,  and  Donald  wondered 
where  Laud  was,  for  he  had  been  very  enthusias 
tic  over  the  event.  Before  he  could  embark,  the 
new  proprietor  of  the  Juno  appeared.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  suit  of  new  clothes,  wore  a  new 
round-top  hat,  and  sported  a  cane  in  his  hand. 
His  mustache  had  been  freshly  colored,  and  every 
hair  was  carefully  placed.  He  did  not  look  like 
a  yachtman;  more  like  a  first-class  swell. 

"I  have  been  all  the  morning  looking  for  some 
fellows  to  sail  with  me,"  said  Laud.  "I  can't 
find  a  single  one.  Won't  you  go  with  me,  Don 
John?" 

" Thank  you;  I  am  one  of  the  judges,  and  I 
can't  go,"  replied  Donald,  who,  if  he  had  not 
been  engaged,  would  have  preferred  to  sail  with 
some  more  skilful  and  agreeable  skipper  than 
Laud  Cavendish. 

44 Won't  your  men  go  with  me?" 

"I  don't  know;  you  can  ask  them." 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  143 

"I  am  entitled  to  carry  five,  and  I  want  some 
live  weights  to-day,  for  it  is  blowing  fresh," 
added  Laud,  as  he  walked  towards  the  shop. 

Neither  of  Donald's  men  was  willing  to  lose 
his  time,  and  as  Laud  came  out  of  the  shop,  he 
discovered  a  young  lady  walking  up  the  beach 
towards  the  city.  A  gust  of  wind  blew  her  hat 
away  at  this  moment,  and  Mr.  Cavendish  gallantly 
ran  after,  and  recovered  it,  as  Donald  would  have 
done  if  he  had  not  been  anticipated,  for  he  rec 
ognized  the  young  lady  as  soon  as  he  saw  her. 
Even  as  it  was,  he  was  disposed  to  run  after  that 
hat,  and  dispute  the  possession  of  it  with  Mr. 
Laud  Cavendish,  for  the  owner  thereof  was  Miss 
Nellie  Patterdale. 

" Allow  me  to  return  your  truant  hat,  Miss 
Patterdale,"  said  Laud. 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Cavendish,"  replied  Nellie, 
rather  coldly,  as  she  resumed  her  walk  towards 
the  place  where  Donald  stood,  a  few  rods  farther 
up  the  beach. 

"We  have  a  fine  breeze  for  the  race,  Miss  Pat 
terdale,"  added  Laud,  smirking  and  jerking,  as 
though  he  intended  to  improve  the  glorious  op 
portunity,  for  the  young  lady  was  not  only  be- 


144  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

witchingly  pretty,  but  her  father  was  a  nabob, 
with  only  two  children. 

"Very  fine,  I  should  think/'  she  answered; 
and  her  tones  and  manner  were  anything  but 
encouraging  to  the  aspirant. 

"I  hope  you  are  going  to  honor  the  gallant 
yachtmen  with  your  presence,  Miss  Patterdale." 

"I  shall  certainly  see  the  race. — Good  morning, 
Don  John/'  said  she,  when  she  came  within 
speaking  distance  of  Donald. 

"Good  morning,  Nellie,"  replied  he,  blushing, 
as  he  felt  the  full  force  of  her  glance  and  her 
smile — a  glance  and  a  smile  for  which  Laud  would 
have  sacrificed  all  he  held  dear  in  the  world,  even 
to  his  cherished  mustache.  "Don't  you  attend 
the  race?" 

"Yes,  I  want  to  attend  now.  Ned  invited  me 
to  go  on  board  of  the  judge's  boat;  but  the  sun 
was  out  then,  and  mother  would  not  let  me  go. 
Father  said  the  day  would  be  cloudy,  and  I  de 
cided  to  go;  but  Ned  had  gone.  I  came  down 
here  to  see  if  I  couldn't  hail  him.  Won't  you 
take  me  off  to  the  Penobscot  in  your  boat?" 

"Certainly  I  will,  with  the  greatest  pleasure," 
replied  Donald,  with  enthusiasm. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  145 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Patterdale,"  inter 
posed  Laud.  "I  am  going  off  in  the  Juno;  allow 
me  to  tender  her  for  your  use.  I  can  take  you 
off,  Don  John,  at  the  same  time." 

4 'It's  quite  rough  $  as  you  see,  Nellie,  and  the 
Juno  is  much  larger  than  my  boat.  You  can  go 
in  her  more  comfortably  than  in  mine,"  added 
Donald. 

"Thank  you;  just  as  you  please,  Don  John," 
she  .answered. 

' 'Bring  her  up  to  the  wharf,  Mr.  Cavendish," 
continued  Donald. 

Laud  leaped  into  his  skiff,  and  pulled  off  to  the 
Juno,  while  Nellie  and  Donald  walked  around  to 
the  wharf.  In  a  few  moments  the  boat  was  ready, 
and  came  up  to  the  pier,  though  her  clumsy  skip 
per  was  so  excited  at  the  prospect  of  having  the 
nabob's  pretty  daughter  in  his  boat,  that  he  had 
nearly  smashed  her  against  the  timbers.  The 
gallant  skipper  bowed,  and  smirked,  and  smiled, 
as  he  assisted  Miss  Patterdale  to  a  place  in  the 
standing-room.  Donald  shoved  off  the  bow,  and 
the  Juno  filled  her  mainsail,  and  went  off  flying 
towards  the  Penobscot. 
10 


146  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"It's  a  smashing  breeze,"  said  Donald,  as  the 
boat  heeled  down. 

* '  Glorious ! ' '  exclaimed  Laud.  « <  Are  you  fond 
of  sailing,  Miss  Patterdale  ?  " 

"I  am  very  fond  of  it." 

"  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  sail  around  the 
course  in  one  of  the  yachts?"  suggested  the  skip 
per. 

"I  should  be  delighted  to  do  so,"  she  replied, 
eagerly;  and  she  glanced  at  Donald,  as  if  to 
ascertain  if  such  a  thing  were  possible. 

"I  should  be  pleased  to  have  you  sail  in  the 
Juno,"  added  Laud,  with  an  extra  smirk. 

* 'Thank  you,  Mr.  Cavendish;  you  are  very 
kind;  but  perhaps  I  had  better  not  go." 

''I  should  be  delighted  to  have  you  go  with 
me." 

"I  don't  think  you  would  enjoy  it,  Nellie,'"  /said 
Donald.  "It  blows  fresh,  and  the  Juno  is  rather 
wet  in  a  heavy  sea." 

Laud  looked  at  him  with  an  angry  expression, 
and  when  Nellie  turned  away  from  him,  he  made 
significant  gestures  to  induce  Donald  to  unsay 
what  he  had  said,  and  persuade  her  to  go  with 
him. 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  147 

"I  am  sure  you  will  be  delighted  with  the  sail, 
Miss  Patterdale.  You  will  be  perfectly  dry  where 
you  are  sitting;  or,  if  not,  I  have  a  rubber  coat, 
which  will  protect  you/' 

"I  think  I  will  not  go,"  she  replied,  so 
coldly  that  her  tones  would  have  frozen  any  one 
but  a  simpleton  like  Laud. 

The  passage  was  of  brief  duration,  and  Donald 
assisted  Nellie  up  the  accommodation  steps  of  the 
Penobscot,  stepping  forward  in  season  to  deprive 
Laud  of  this  pleasant  office. 

"I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Cavendish/' 
said  she,  walking  away  from  the  steps. 

"That  was  mean  of  you,  Don  John,"  muttered 
Laud,  as  Donald  came  down  the  steps  to  assist  in 
shoving  off  the  Juno. 

"What  was  mean?" 

4 'Why,  to  tell  Nellie  she  would  not  enjoy  the 
sail  with  me." 

"She  could  do  as  she  pleased." 

"But  you  told  her  the  Juno  was  wet,"  added 
Laud,  angrily. 

"She  is  wet  when  it  blows." 

"No  matter  if  she  is.  It  was  mean  of  you  to 
say  anything  about  it,  after  all  I  have  done  f<>r 
you." 


148  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

"It  wasn't  mean  to  tell  the  truth,  and  save 
her  from  a  ducking,  and  I  don't  know  what  you 
have  done  for  me." 

"You  don't?  Didn't  I  buy  this  boat  of  you, 
and  pay  you  fifty  dollars  more  than  she  is  worth?" 

"No,  you  didn't.  But  if  you  are  dissatisfied 
with  your  bargain,  I  will  take  her  off  your 
hands." 

"You!     I  want  the  money  I  paid." 

"You  shall  have  it.  Come  to  the  shop  after 
the  race,  and  you  may  throw  up  the  trade." 

"Will  Captain  Shivernock  pay  you  back  the 
money?"  sneered  Laud. 

"I'll  take  care  of  that,  if  you  want  to  give  her 
up,"  added  Donald,  warmly. 

"Never  mind  that  now.  Can't  you  persuade 
Nellie  to  sail  with  me?"  continued  Laud,  more 
gently.  "If  you  will,  I  will  give  you  a  five- 
dollar  bill." 

Donald  would  have  given  double  that  sum 
rather  than  have  had  her  go  with  him,  and  she 
would  have  given  ten  times  the  amount  to  avoid 
doing  so. 

"I  can't  persuade  her,  for  I  don't  think  it  is 
best  for  her  to  go,"  replied  Donald. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  149 

"No  matter  what  you  think.  You  are  a  good 
fellow,  Don  John  :  do  this  for  me — won't  you? 
It  would  be  a  great  favor,  and  I  shall  never  forget 
it." 

"Why  do  you  want  her  to  go  with  you?" 
demanded  Donald,  rather  petulantly.  "A  yacht 
in  a  race  is  no  place  for  ladies.  I  can  find  some 
fellows  on  board  here  who  will  be  glad  to  go  with 
you." 

"But  I  want  her  to  go  with  me.  The  fact  of 
it  is,  Don  John,  I  rather  like  Nellie,  and  I  want 
to  be  better  acquainted  with  her." 

"If  you  do,  you  must  paddle  your  own  canoe," 
replied  Donald,  indignantly,  as  he  ascended  the 
steps,  and  joined  the  other  two  judges  on  deck. 

"We  are  waiting  for  you,  Don  John,"  said 
Sam  Rodman,  who  was  one  of  them. 

"It  isn't  ten  yet,  and  I  have  the  papers  all 
ready.  Who  is  to  be  time-keeper  ?"  asked  the 
chairman. 

"I  have  a  watch  with  a  second  hand,  and  I  will 
take  that  office,"  said  Frank  Norwood,  who  was 
the  third. 

Most  of  the  yachts  were  already  in  line,  and 
the  captain  of  the  fleet,  in  the  tender  of  his  yacht, 


150  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OK 

was  arranging  them,  the  largest  to  windward. 
The  first  gun  had  been  fired  at  half  past  ninet 
which  was  the  signal  to  get  into  line,  and  at  the 
next,  the  yachts  were  to  get  under  way.  All  sail 
except  the  jib  was  set,  and  at  the  signal  each 
craft  was  to  slip  her  cable,  hoist  her  jib,  if  she 
had  one,  and  get  under  way,  as  quickly  as  possi 
ble.  The  "rode"  was  simply  to  be  cast  off,  for 

the  end  of  it  was  made  fast  to  the  tender,  which 

i 

was  used  as  a  buoy  for  the  anchor. 

"Are  they  all  ready?"  asked  Donald,  as  the 
time  drew  near. 

"All  but  the  Juno.  Laud  has  picked  up  two 
live  weights,  and  wants  another  man,"  replied 
Sam  Kodman. 

"We  won't  wait  for  him." 

But  Laud  got  into  line  in  season.  One  of  the 
seamen  of  the  Penobscot  stood  at  the  lock-string 
of  the  gun  forward,  ready  to  fire  when  the  chair 
man  of  the  judges  gave  the  word. 

"Have  your  watch  ready,  Frank,"  said  Donald. 

"All  ready,"  answered  Norwood. 

"Fire ! "  shouted  Donald. 

Some  of  the  ladies  "squealed"  wrheu  the  gun 
went  off,  but  all  eyes  were  immediately  directed 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  151 

to  tho  yachts.  The  Christabel,  with  a  reef  in 
her  fore  and  main  sails,  was  next  to  the  Peuob- 
scot;  then  came  the  Skylark,  the  Sea  Foam,  and 
the  Phantom.  Before  the  gun  was  fired,  the 
captain  had  stationed  a  hand  in  each  yacht  at  the 
cable,  and  others  at  the  jib-halyards  and  down- 
hauls.  The  instant  the  gun  was  discharged,  the 
jibs  were  run  up,  and  the  "rodes"  thrown  over 
board.  Some  of  the  yachts,  however,  were  un 
fortunate,  and  did  not  obtain  a  good  start.  In 
one  the  jib  down-haul  fouled,  and  another  ran 
over  her  cable,  and  swamped  her  tender.  The 
conflict  was  believed  to  be  between  the  Skylark 
and  the  Sea  Foam,  for  there  was  too  much  wind 
for  the  Christabel,  which  was  the  fastest  light- 
weather  craft  in  the  line. 

It  was  a  beautiful  sight  when  the  yachts  went 
off,  with  the  wind  only  a  little  abaft  the  beam. 
The  young  gentlemen  sailing  them  were  rather 
excited,  and  made  some  mistakes.  The  Skylark 
at  once  took  the  lead,  for  Commodore  Montague 
was  the  most  experienced  boatman  in  the  fleet. 
He  made  no  mistakes,  and  his  superior  skill  was 
soon  evident  in  the  distance  between  him  and  the 
Sea  Foam. 


152  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

The  crowd  of  people  on  the  shore  and  the 
judges'  yacht  watched  the  contestants  till  they 
disappeared  beyond  Turtle  Head.  The  boats  had 
a  free  wind  both  ways,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  distance  beyond  the  head,  where  they  had 
to  beat  up  to  Stubb's  Point  Ledge.  There  was 
nothing  for  the  judges  to  do  until  the  yachts  came 
in,  and  Donald  spent  a  couple  of  delightful  hours 
with  Nellie  Patterdale.  Presently  the  Skylark 
appeared  again  beyond  the  Head,  leading  the 
fleet  as  before.  On  she  drove,  like  a  bolt  from  an 
arrow,  carrying  a  big  bone  in  her  mouth;  and  the 
judges  prepared  to  take  her  time. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  153 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

THE  SKYLARK  AND  THE  SEA  FOAM. 

FRANK  NORWOOD  was  the  time-keeper, 
and  he  stood  with  his  watch  in  his  hand. 
Each  yacht  was  to  pass  to  windward  of  the  Penob- 
scot,  and  come  round  her  stern,  reporting  as  she 
did  so.  Sam  Rodman  was  to  call  "time"  when 
the  foremast  of  each  yacht  was  in  range  with  a  cer 
tain  chimney  of  a  house  on  the  main  shore.  At  the 
word  Frank  was  to  give  the  time,  and  Donald 
was  to  write  it  down  on  his  schedule.  Every 
thing  was  to  be  done  with  the  utmost  accuracy. 
The  Skylark  was  rapidly  approaching,  with  the 
Sea  Foam  nearly  half  a  mile  astern  of  her.  The 
Phantom  and  Christabel  were  not  far  behind  the 
Sea  Foam,  while  the  rest  were  scattered  along  all 
the  way  over  to  Turtle  Head. 

" Ready  there!"  shouted  Donald,  as  the  Sky 
lark  came  nearly  in  range  of  the  Penobscot  and 
the  chimney. 


154  THE   YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

4 'All  ready,"  replied  Sam  Rodman. 

The  gun  forward  had  been  loaded,  and  a  sea 
man  stood  at  the  lock-string,  to  salute  the  first 
boat  in. 

"Time!"  shouted  Sam,  as  the  mainsail  of  the 
Skylark  shut  in  the  chimney  on  the  shore;  and 
the  six-pounder  awoke  the  echoes  among  the  hills. 

"Twelve,  forty,  and  thirty-two  seconds,"  added 
Frank,  as  he  took  the  time  from  the  watch. 

"Twelve,  forty,  thirty -two,"  repeated  Donald, 
as  he  wrote  it  on  the  schedule. 

The  crowd  on  the  judges'  yacht  cheered  the 
commodore  as  the  Skylark  rounded  the  Penob- 
scot,  and  the  ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs  at 
him  with  desperate  enthusiasm. 

"I  thought  you  said  the  Sea  Foam  was  to  beat 
the  Skylark,"  said  Nellie  Patterdale. 

"I  think  she  may  do  it  yet,"   replied  Donald. 

"And  Sam's  new  boat  must  beat  them  both, 
Don  John,"  laughed  Maud  Rodman. 

"Time!"   called  Sam. 

"Twelve,  forty-five,  two,"  added  Frank. 

"Twelve,  forty-five,  two,"  repeated  Donald, 
writing  down  the  time. 

By  this  time  the  Skylark  had  come  about,  not 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  155 

by  gybing, — for  the  wind  was  too  heavy  to  make 
this  evolution  in  safety, — but  had  come  round 
head  to  the  wind,  and  now  passed  under  the  stern 
of  the  Penobscot. 

' 'Sky lark!  "  reported  the  commodore. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  Sea  Foam  did  the 
same.  The  Phantom  came  in  a  minute  after  the 
Sea  Foam,  and  for  a  few  moments  the  judges 
were  very  busy  taking  the  time  of  the  next  four 
boats.  The  Juno  did  not  arrive  till  half  past 
one,  and  she  was  the  last  one.  As  fast  as  the 
yachts  rounded  the  Penobscot,  they  went  off  to 
the  line  and  picked  up  their  cables  and  anchors. 
The  captains  of  the  several  craft  which  had  sailed 
in  the  race  then  boarded  the  Penobscot  to  ascer 
tain  the  decision  of  the  judges. 

"You  waxed  me  badly,  Robert,"  said  Ned 
Patter  dale,  who  was  mortified  at  the  defeat  of  the 
Sea  Foam,  though  he  kept  good-natured  about  it. 

"I  still  think  the  Skylark  can't  be  beaten  by 
anything  of  her  inches,"  replied  Commodore 
Montague. 

"I  am  rather  disappointed  in  the  Sea  Foam," 
added  Ned. 

Donald  heard  this  remark,  and  he  was  much 


15()  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

disturbed  by  it;  for  it  seemed  like  a  reproach 
upon  the  skill  of  his  father,  and  an  imputation 
upon  the  reputation  of  Kamsay  and  Son.  If  the 
yachts  built  by  the  "firm"  were  beaten  as  badly 
as  the  Sea  Foam  had  been,  though  she  had  out 
sailed  the  Phantom,  it  would  seriously  injure  the 
business  of  the  concern.  The  defeat  of  the  Sea 
Foam  touched  the  boat-builder  in  a  tender  place, 
and  he  found  it  necessary  to  do  something  to 
maintain  the  standing  of  the  firm.  He  knew  just 
what  the  matter  was;  but  under  ordinary  circum 
stances  he  would  not  have  said  a  word  to  damage 
the  pride  of  the  present  owner  of  the  Sea  Foam. 

"I  am  sorry  you  are  not  satisfied  with  her, 
Ned,"  said  Donald. 

4 'But I  expected  too  much  of  her;  for  I  thought 
she  was  going  to  beat  the  Skylark,"  replied  Ned 
Patterdale.  "I  think  you  encouraged  me  some 
what  in  that  direction,  Don  John." 

"I  did;  and  I  still  think  she  can  beat  the  Sky 
lark." 

6 'It's no  use  to  think  so;  for  she  has  just  beaten 
me  four  minutes  and  a  half;  and  that's  half  a 
mile  iu  this  breeze.  Nothing  could  have  been 
more  fairly  done." 


THE    rOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  157 

"It  was  all  perfectly  fair,  Ned;  but  you  know 
that  winning  a  race  does  not  depend  entirely  upon 
the  boat,"  suggested  Donald,  hinting  mildly  at 
his  own  theory  of  the  defeat. 

"Then  you  think  I  didn't  sail  her  well?"  said 
Ned. 

"I  think  you  sailed  her  very  well;  but  it  could 
not  be  expected  that  you  would  do  as  well  with 
her  as  Bob  Montague  with  the  Skylark,  for  he  has 
sailed  his  yacht  for  months,  while  you  have  only 
had  yours  a  few  weeks.  This  is  a  matter  of  busi 
ness  with  me,  Ned.  If  our  boats  are  beaten,  we 
lose  our  work.  It  is  bread  and  butter  to  me." 

"If  it  was  my  fault,  I  am  sorry  she  was  beaten, 
for  your  sake,  Don  John;  but  I  did  my  best  with 
her,"  replied  Ned,  with  real  sympathy  for  his 
friend. 

"Of  course  I  am  not  going  to  cry  over  spilt 
milk." 

"Do  you  really  think  the  Sea  Foam  can  beat 
the  Skylark?" 

"I  think  so;  but  I  may  be  mistaken.  At  any 
rate,  I  should  like  the  chance  to  sail  the  Sea  Foam 
with  the  Skylark.  I  don't  consider  it  exactly  an 
even  thing  between  you  and  the  commodore, 


158  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

because  lie  has  had  so  much  more  experience  than 
you  have,"  replied  Donald. 

''You  believe  you  can  sail  the  Sea  Foam  better 
than  I  can — do  you,  Don  John?'' 

"It  wouldn't  be  pleasant  for  me  to  say  that, 
Ned." 

"But  that's  what  you  mean?' ' 

"I  have  explained  the  reason  why  I  spoke  of 
this  matter  at  all,  Ned.  It  is  bread  and  butter  to 
me,  and  I  hope  you  don't  think  I  am  vain." 

Ned  was  a  little  vexed  at  the  remarks  of  his 
friend,  and  rather  indignant  at  his  assumed  superi 
ority  as  a  boatman.  Donald  was  usually  very 
modest  and  unpretentious.  He  was  not  in  the 
habit  of  claiming  that  he  could  do  anything  better 
than  another.  Generally,  in  boating  matters, 
when  he  saw  that  a  thing  was  done  wrong,  he 
refrained  from  criticising  unless  his  opinion  was 
asked,  and  was  far  from  being  forward  in  fault 
finding.  Though  he  was  an  authority  among  the 
young  men  in  sailing  boats,  he  had  not  attained 
this  distinction  by  being  a  critic  and  caviller. 
Ned  was  therefore  surprised,  as  well  as  indignant ,. 
at  the  comments  and  the  assumption  of  Donald ; 
but  a  little  reflection  enabled  him  to  see  the  boat- 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  159 

builder's  motive,  which  was  anything  but  vanity. 
He  had  some  of  this  weakness  himself,  and  felt 
that  he  had  sailed  the  Sea  Foam  as  well  as  any 
one  could  have  done  it,  and  was  satisfied  that  the 
Skylark  was  really  a  faster  yacht  than  his  own. 
The  race  was  plain  sailing,  with  a  free  wind 
nearly  all  the  way,  and  there  was  not  much  room 
for  the  exercise  of  superior  skill  in  handling  the 
craft.  At  least,  this  was  Ned's  opinion.  If  the 
course  had  been  a  dead  beat  to  windward  for  ten 
miles,  the  case  would  have  been  different;  and 
Ned  had  failed  to  notice  that  he  had  lost  half  the 
distance  between  the  Skylark  and  the  Sea  Foam 
when  he  rounded  the  stake  buoy. 

It  was  a  fact  that  among  the  large  party  on 
board  the  Penobscot,  the  boats  of  the  firm  of 
Ramsay  and  Son  were  just  then  at  a  discount, 
and  those  of  the  Newport  builders  at  a  correspond 
ing  premium.  Donald  was  grieved  and  vexed, 
and  trembled  for  the  future  of  the  firm  of  which 
he  was  the  active  representative.  But  he  figured 
up  the  results  of  the  race,  and  when  the  captains 
of  all  the  yachts  had  come  on  board  of  the  judges* 
boat,  he  announced  the  prizes  and  delivered  them 
to  the  winners,  with  a  little  speech.  The  silver 


1GO  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

vase  was  given  to  the  commodore,  with  liberal 
and  magnanimous  commendations  both  of  the 
yacht  and  her  captain.  The  marine  glass  was 
presented  to  Edward  Patterdale,  as  the  winner  of 
the  second  prize,  with  some  pleasant  wrords, 
which  did  not  in  the  least  betray  the  personal 
discomfiture  of  the  chairman.  There  wTas  a  fur 
ther  ceremony  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Penob- 
scot,  which  was  not  in  the  programme,  and  which 
was  unexpected  to  all  except  the  officers  of  the 
club. 

"Captain  Laud  Cavendish,  of  the  Juno,"  said 
the  chairman  of  the  judges,  who  stood  on  the 
trunk  of  the  yacht,  where  all  on  board,  as  well  as 
those  in  the  boats  collected  around  her,  could  see 
him. 

Laud  stepped  forward,  wondering  what  the  call 
could  mean. 

"I  find,  after  figuring  up  the  results  of  the 
race,"  continued  the  chairman,  glancing  at  the 
schedule  he  held  in  his  hand,  "that  you  are  enti 
tled  to  the  third  and  last  prize.  By  carefully 
timing  the  movements  of  your  excellent  craft,  and 
by  your  superior  skill  in  sailing  her,  you  have 
contrived  to  come  in — last  in  the  race;  and  the 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDEK.  1(>1 

officers  of  the  club  have  instructed  the  judges  to 
award  this  medal  to  you.  I  have  the  honor  and 
the  very  great  pleasure  of  suspending  it  around 
your  neck." 

The  medal  was  made  of  sole  leather,  about  six 
inches  in  diameter.  Attached  to  it  was  a  yard  of 
stove-pipe  chain,  by  which  it  was  hung  around  the 
neck  of  the  winner  of  the  last  prize.  A  shout  of 
laughter  and  a  round  of  applause  greeted  the 
presentation  of  the  medal.  Laud  did  not  know 
whether  to  smile  or  get  mad;  for  he  felt  like  the 
victim  of  a  practical  joke.  Miss  Nellie  Patterdale 
stood  near  him,  and  perhaps  her  presence  re 
strained  an  outburst  of  anger.  Mr.  Montague, 
the  father  of  the  commodore,  had  provided  a 
bountiful  collation  in  the  cabin  of  the  Penobscot, 
and  the  next  half  hour  was  given  up  to  the  dis 
cussion  of  the  repast.  Laud  tried  to  make  him 
self  agreeable  to  Nellie,  and  the  poor  girl  was 
persecuted  by  his  attentions  until  she  was  obliged 
to  break  away  from  him. 

"Don  John,  I  am  told  that  everybody  is  satis 
fied  with  this  race  except  you,"  said  Commodore 
Montague,  as  the  party  went  on  deck  after  the 
collation. 

11 


162  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"I  am  satisfied  with  it,"  replied  Donald. 
"Everything  has  been  perfectly  fair,  and  the  Sky 
lark  has  beaten  the  Sea  Foam. '  * 

"But  you  still  think  the  Sea  Foam  can  outsail 
the  Skylark?" 

"I  think  so;  but  of  course  I  may  be  mistaken." 

"You  believe  that  Ned  Patterdale  didn't  get 
all  her  speed  out  of  the  Sea  Foam,"  added  the 
commodore. 

*  'I  don't  mean  to  say  a  word  to  disparage  Ned; 
but  he  don't  know  the  Sea  Foam  as  you  do  the 
Skylark." 

"There  is  hardly  a  particle  of  difference  be 
tween  the  boats." 

"I  know  it;  but  you  have  had  so  much  more 
experience  than  Ned,  that  he  ought  not  to  be  ex 
pected  to  compete  with  you.  If  you  will  ex 
change  boats,  and  you  do  your  best  in  the  Sea 
Foam,  I  believe  you  would  beat  your  own  yacht. 
I  think  Ned  does  first  rate  for  the  experience  he 
has  had." 

"So  do  I;  but  I  believe  the  difference  is  in  the 
sailing  of  the  boats;  for  you  may  build  two  yachts 
as  near  alike  as  possible,  and  one  of  them  will  do 
better  than  the  other,"  said  Robert  Montague. 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  163 

"I  should  like  to  have  you  sail  the  Sea  Foam 
against  the  Skylark,  Bob,"  added  Donald. 

''You  don't  want  me  to  beat  my  own  boat,  if  I 
can — do  you,  Don  John?"  laughed  Robert. 

"I  think  you  could." 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do  :  I'll  sail  the  Sky 
lark  against  the  Sea  Foam  this  afternoon,  and  you 
shall  handle  Ned's  yacht.  I  have  been  talking 
with  him  about  it,  and  he  agrees  to  it." 

"I'm  willing,   Bob,"  replied  Donald,  eagerly. 

"All  right." 

"I  hope  Ned  don't  think  hard  of  me  for  speak 
ing  of  this  matter,"  added  Donald.  "I  wouldn't 
have  uttered  a  word  if  this  result  did  not  affect 
our  business." 

"I  understand  it,  Don  John;  and  so  does  Ned. 
But  I  think  you  are  making  a  mistake ;  for  if  the 
Sea  Foam  is  beaten  again  by  the  Skylark, — as  I 
believe  she  will  be, — it  will  be  all  the  worse  for 
your  firm,"  laughed  Robert. 

"I  am  willing  to  run  the  risk,"  replied  Donald. 
"If  we  can't  build  a  boat  as  fast  as  the  Skylark, 
I  want  to  know  it." 

"But,  Don  John,  you  don't  expect  me  to  let 
you  beat  me — do  you?" 


164  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OK 

"Certainly  not,  Bob.  I  hope  you  will  do  your 
very  best,  and  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  the  result." 

It  was  soon  reported  over  the  Penobscot  that 
another  race  was  to  be  sailed  immediately,  and 
the  report  created  intense  excitement  when 
the  circumstances  of  the  affair  were  explained. 
Judges  were  appointed,  and  other  arrangements 
concluded.  Donald  and  Ned  Patterdale  went  on 
board  of  the  Sea  Foam,  and  Commodore  Montague 
on  board  of  the  Skylark.  The  two  yachts  anchored 
in  line,  with  the  Skylark  to  windward,  as  she  was 
three  inches  longer  than  the  other.  The  start 
was  to  be  made  at  the  firing  of  the  first  gun. 
Donald  took  his  place  at  the  helm  of  the  Sea 
Foam,  and  stationed  the  hands.  He  was  a  little 
afraid  that  Ned  Patterdale  was  not  as  enthusiastic 
as  he  might  be;  for  if  his  yacht  won  the  race,  the 
responsibility  for  the  loss  of  the  first  prize  in  the 
regatta  would  rest  upon  him,  and  not  upon  his 
craft.  It  would  not  be  so  pleasant  for  him  to 
know  that  he  had  failed,  in  any  degree,  as  a 
skipper.  The  position  of  Donald,  therefore,  was 
not  wholly  agreeable ;  for  he  did  not  like  to  prove 
that  his  friend  was  deficient  in  skill,  though  the 
future  prosperity  of  the  firm  of  Ramsay  and  Son 
required  him  to  do  so. 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  165 

The  wind  was  even  fresher  than  before,  and 
dark  clouds  indicated  a  heavy  rain  before  night ; 
but  Donald  did  not  heed  the  weather.  He  sta 
tioned  Ned  in  the  standing-room  to  tend  the  jib- 
sheets  and  mind  the  centre-board.  Two  hands 
were  at  the  cable,  and  two  more  at  the  jib-hal 
yards. 

"Are  you  all  ready  forward?"  called  the 
skipper  pro  tern,  of  the  Sea  Foam. 

"All  ready,"  replied  the  hands.  And  Donald 
waited  with  intense  interest  for  the  gun. 

Bang. 

"Let  go!     Hoist  the  jib!  "  cried  Donald. 

The  hands  forward  worked  with  a  will.  The 
rope  was  thrown  into  the  tender,  to  which  the 
end  of  it  was  made  fast,  and  the  jib,  crackling 
and  banging  in  the  stiff  breeze,  now  almost  a 
gale,  wrent  up  in  an  instant. 

"Haul  down  the  lee  jib-sheet,"  said  Donald  to 
his  companion  in  the  standing-room.  And  it  is 
but  fair  to  say  that  Ned  worked  as  briskly  as  the 
yachtmen  at  the  bow. 

The  Sea  Foam  heeled  over,  as  the  blast  struck 
her  sails,  till  her  rail  went  under;  but  Donald 
knew  just  what  she  would  bear,  and  kept  the 


166  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

tiller  stiff  in  his  hand.  Stationing  Dick  Adams 
at  the  main  sheet  behind  him,  he  placed  the 
others  upon  the  weather  side.  In  a  moment 
more  the  yacht  came  to  her  bearings,  and  lying 
well  over,  she  flew  off  on  her  course.  She  had 
made  a  capital  start,  and  the  Skylark  was  equally 
fortunate  in  this  respect.  The  two  yachts  went 
off  abeam  of  each  other,  and  for  half  a  milo 
neither  gained  a  hair  upon  the  other.  Then  con> 
menced  the  struggle  for  the  victory.  First  the 
Skylark  gained  a  few  inches ;  then  the  Sea  Foam 
made  half  a  length,  though  she  immediately  lost 
it;  for  in  these  relative  positions,  she  came  undei 
the  lee  of  her  opponent. 

Again  the  Skylark  forged  ahead,  and  was  a 
length  in  advance  of  the  Sea  Foam,  when  the 
yachts  came  up  with  Turtle  Head. 

"You  are  losing  it,  Don  John,"  said  Ned, 
apparently  not  much  displeased  at  the  result. 

"Not  yet,"  replied  Donald.  "A  pull  on  the 
main  sheet,  Dick,"  added  the  skipper,  as  he  put 
the  helm  down.  "Give  her  six  inches  more 
centre-board,  Ned." 

"You  will  be  on  the  rocks,  Don  John!" 
touted  the  owner  of  the  yacht,  as  the  Sea  Foam 


THE  YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  167 

dashed  under  the  stern  of  the  Skylark,  and  ran  in 
close  to  the  shore. 

* 'Don't  be  alarmed,  Ned.  Haul  down  the  jib- 
sheet  a  little  more !  Steady !  Belay ! ' '  said  the 
confident  skipper. 

By  this  manoeuvre  the  Sea  Foam  gained  a  posi 
tion  to  windward  of  her  rival ;  but  she  ran  within 
half  her  breadth  of  beam  of  the  dangerous  rocks, 
and  Ned  expected  every  instant  the  race  would 
end  in  a  catastrophe.  She  went  clear,  however; 
for  Donald  knew  just  the  depth  of  water  at  any 
time  of  tide.  Both  yachts  were  now  under  the 
lee  of  the  island,  and  went  along  more  gently 
than  before.  It  was  plain  enough  now  that  the 
Sea  Foam  had  the  advantage.  Beyond  the  Head, 
and  near  the  ledge,  she  was  obliged  to  brace  up  to 
the  wind,  in  order  to  leave  the  buoy  on  the  port, 
as  required  by  the  rule.  Donald  kept  her  moving 
very  lively,  and  when  she  had  made  her  two 
tacks,  she  had  weathered  the  buoy,  and,  rounding 
it,  she  gybed  so  near  the  ledge  that  the  commo 
dore  could  not  have  crawled  in  between  him  and 
the  buoy  if  he  had  been  near  enough  to  do  so. 
Hauling  up  the  centre-board,  and  letting  off  the 
sheets,  the  Sea  Foam  went  for  a  time  before  the 
wind. 


1G8  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

When  the  Skylark  had  rounded  the  buoy,  and 
laid  her  course  for  Turtle  Head  again,  she  was  at 
least  an  eighth  of  a  mile  astern  of  her  rival. 
Donald  hardly  looked  at  her,  but  gazed  stead 
fastly  at  the  sails  and  the  shore  of  the  island. 
The  sheets  had  to  be  hauled  in  little  by  little,  as 
she  followed  the  contour  of  the  land,  till  at  the 
point  below  Turtle  Head  the  yacht  had  the  wind 
forward  of  the  beam.  Then  came  the  home 
stretch,  and  the  skipper  trimmed  his  sails,  ad 
justed  the  centre-board,  and  stationed  his  crew  as 
live  weights  with  the  utmost  care.  It  was  only 
necessary  for  him  to  hold  his  own  in  order  to  win 
the  race,  and  he  was  painfully  anxious  for  the 
result. 

In  the  Skylark  the  commodore  saw  just  where 
he  had  lost  his  advantage,  and  regretted  too  late 
that  he  had  permitted  the  Sea  Foam  to  get  to 
windward  of  him;  but  he  strained  every  nerve  to 
recover  his  position.  The  wind  continued  to 
freshen,  and  probably  both  yachts  would  have 
done  better  with  a  single  reef  in  the  mainsail; 
but  there  was  no  time  to  reduce  sail.  As  they 
passed  Turtle  Head  and  came  out  into  the  open 
bay,  the  white-capped  waves  broke  over  the  bows, 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  109 

dashing  the  spray  from  stem  to  stern.  Neither 
Donald  nor  Robert  flinched  a  hair,  or  permitted 
a  sheet  to  be  started. 

"You'll  take  the  mast  out  of  her,  Don  John," 
said  Ned  Patterdale,  wiping  the  salt  water  from 
his  face. 

"If  I  do,  I'll  put  in  another,"  replied  Donald. 
" But  you  can't  snap  that  stick.  The  Skylark's 
mast  will  go  by  the  board  first,  and  then  it  will 
be  time  enough  to  look  out  for  ours." 

"You  have  beaten  her,  Don  John,"  added  Ned. 

"Not  yet.  'There's  many  a  slip  between  the 
cup  and  the  lip.' 

"But  you  are  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  her, 
at  least.  It's  blowing  a  gale,  and  we  can't  carry 
all  this  sail  much  longer." 

"She  can  carry  it  as  long  as  the  Skylark. 
When  she  reefs,  we  will  do  the  same.  I  want  to 
show  you  what  the  Sea  Foam's  made  of.  She  is 
as  stiff  as  a  line-of-battle  ship." 

"But  look  over  to  windward,  Don  John," 
exclaimed  Ned,  with  evident  alarm.  "Isn't  that 
a  squall?" 

"No;  I  think  not.  It's  only  a  shower  of  rain," 
replied  Donald.  "There  may  be  a  pulf  of  wind 
in  it.  If  there  is,  I  can  touch  her  up." 


170  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"The  Skylark  has  come  up  into  the  wind,  a?id 
dropped  her  peak,"  added  Norman,  considerably 
excited. 

But  Donald  kept  on.  In  a  moment  more  a 
heavy  shower  of  rain  deluged  the  deck  of  the  Sea 
Foam.  With  it  came  a  smart  puff  of  wind,  and 
the  skipper  "touched  her  up;"  but  it  was  over  in 
a  moment,  and  the  yacht  sped  on  her  way  towards 
the  goal.  Half  an  hour  later  she  passed  the 
Penobscot,  and  a  gun  from  her  saluted  the  victor 
in  the  exciting  race.  About  four  minutes  later 
came  the  Skylark,  which  had  lost  half  this  time 
in  the  squall. 


THE  YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  171 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   LAUNCH   OF   THE    MAUD. 

THE  heavy  rain  had  driven  nearly  all  the  people 
on  board  of  the  Penobscot  below,  but  the 
judges,  clothed  in  rubber  coats,  kept  the  deck,  in 
readiness  to  take  the  time  of  the  rival  yachts. 
After  the  squall,  the  weather  was  so  thick  that  both 
of  them  were  hidden  from  view.  The  craft  not  in 
the  race  had  anchored  near  the  Penobscot,  and  on 
board  of  all  the  yachts  the  interest  in  the  result 
was  most  intense. 

"I'm  afraid  it  will  be  no  race,"  said  Sam  Rod 
man,  who  was  now  the  chairman  of  the  judges. 

"The  commodore  will  put  the  Skylark  through, 
whatever  the  weather,"  replied  Frank  Norwood. 

"Don  John  will  keep  the  Sea  Foam  flying  as 
long  as  Bob  runs  the  Skylark,  you  may  depend." 

"It  was  quite  a  little  squall  that  swept  across 
the  bay  just  now,"  added  Rodman.  "I  hope  no 
accident  has  happened  to  them." 


172  THE    YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

"I'll  risk  the  accidents.  I  would  give  a  dollar 
to  know  which  one  was  ahead. ' ' 

"Not  much  doubt  on  that  point." 

"I  think  there  is.  Don  John  generally  knows 
what  he  is  about.  He  don't  very  often  say  what 
he  can  do,  but  when  he  does,  he  means  it." 

"The  commodore  is  too  much  for  him." 

"Perhaps  he  is,  but  I  have  hopes  of  the  Sea 
Foam.  Don  John  is  building  the  Maud  for  me, 
and  I  have  some  interest  in  this  race.  I  don't 
want  a  yacht  that  is-  to  be  beaten  by  everything  in 
the  fleet.  If  the  Skylark  is  too  much  for  the  Sea 
Foam,  the  chance  of  the  Maud  won't  be  much 
better. " 

The  judges  discussed  the  merits  of  the  two 
yachts  for  half  an  hour  longer,  and  there  was  as 
much  difference  of  opinion  among  them  as  among 
the  rest  of  the  spectators  of  the  race. 

"There's  one  of  them!"  shouted  Frank  Nor 
wood,  as  the  Sea  Foam  emerged  from  the  cloud  of 
mist  which  accompanied  the  rain. 

"Which  is  it?"  demanded  Rodman. 

"I  can't  make  her  out,"  replied  Norwood,  for 
the  yacht  was  over  a  mile  distant. 

"But  where  is  the  other?  One  of  them  is  get 
ting  badly  beaten,"  added  Rodman. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  173 

"That  must  be  the  Skylark  we  see." 

"I  don't  believe  it  is.  It  is  so  thick  we  can't 
make  her  out,  but  her  sails  look  very  white.  I 
think  it  is  the  Sea  Foam." 

"There's  the  other!"  exclaimed  Norwood,  as 
the  Skylark  was  dimly  perceived  in  the  distance. 

"She  is  half  a  mile  astern.  It  is  a  bad  beat  for 
one  of  them." 

"That's  so;  and  if  it  is  the  Sea  Foam,  I  shall 
want  to  throw  up  the  contract  for  the  Maud,"  said 
Rodman. 

"There  is  one  thing  about  it;  both  of  those  craft 
are  good  sea  boats,  and  if  they  can  carry  whole 
jib  and  mainsail  in  this  blow,  they  are  just  the 
right  kind  of  yachts  for  me.  I  like  an  able  boat, 
even  if  she  don't  win  any  prizes.  Give  me  a  stiff 
boat  before  a  fast  one," 

"I  should  like  to  have  mine  both  stiff  and  fast." 

"Look  at  the  Christabel.  She  went  round  the 
course  with  a  reef  in  the  fore  and  main  sails,  and 
was  beaten  at  that,"  added  Norwood.  "Here 
comes  the  head  boat.  It  is  the  Skylark,  as  sure 
as  you  live." 

"Not  much,   Frank.     Do  you   see   her   figure 


174  THE    YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

head?  Is  it  a  bird?"  demanded  Rodman,  triumph 
antly. 

"It  isn't;  that's  a  fact." 

* 'That's  the  Sea  Foam  fast  enough." 

This  was  exciting,,  news,  and  Sam  Rodman 
walked  rapidly  to  the  companion-way  of  the 
Penobscot. 

"  Yachts  in  sight !"  shouted  he  to  the  people 
below. 

6  '  Which  is  ahead?"  asked  Mr.  Montague. 

"The  Sea  Foam,"  replied  Rodman. 

"I'm  so  glad!"  exclaimed  Miss  Nellie  Pat- 
terdale. 

Mr.  Montague  and  Captain  Patterdale  only 
laughed,  but  they  were  sufficiently  interested  to 
go  on  deck  in  spite  of  the  pouring  rain,  and  they 
were  followed  by  many  others. 

"Time! "  shouted  Sam  Rodman,  as  the  gun  was 
fired. 

"Four,  thirty-two,  ten,"  added  Frank  Nor 
wood;  and  the  figures  were  entered  upon  the 
schedule. 

The  Sea  Foam  passed  the  judges'  yacht,  camo 
about,  and  went  under  her  stern. 

"The  Sea  Foam,"  shouted  Donald. 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  175 

Though  the  spectators  were  not  all  satisfied 
with  the  result,  they  gave  three  cheers  to  the 
victorious  yacht,  magnanimously  led  off  by  Mr. 
Montague  himself. 

"Time!''  called  Sam,  as  the  Skylark  came  into 
the  range  of  the  chimney  on  shore. 

"Four,  thirty-six,  twelve,"  said  Norwood. 

The  Skylark  came  about,  and  passed  under  the 
stern  of  the  Penobscot,  reporting  her  name.  The 
judges  went  below,  and  figured  out  the  result,  by 
which  it  appeared  that  the  Sea  Foam  had  beaten 
the  Skylark,  after  the  correction  for  the  three 
inches'  difference  in  length,  by  three  minutes  fifty- 
nine  and  four  tenths  seconds. 

Donald  was  the  first  to  come  on  board  of  the 
Penobscot,  and  was  generously  congratulated  on 
his  decisive  victory,  especially  by  Mr.  Montague, 
the  father  of  the  commodore.  Kobert  followed 
him  soon  after,  and  every  one  was  curious  to  know 
what  he  would  say  and  do. 

"Don  John,  you  have  beaten  me,"  exclaimed 
he,  grasping  the  hand  of  Donald.  "You  have 
done  it  fairly  and  handsomely,  and  I  am  ready  to 
give  up  the  first  prize  to  the  Sea  Foam. " 

The  party  in  the  cabin  of  the  Penobscot  heartily 
applauded  the  conduct  of  the  commodore. 


176  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

61  You  are  very  kind  and  generous,  Bob,"  re 
plied  Donald,  deeply  moved  by  the  magnanimity 
of  the  commodore. 

"When  I  am  whipped,  I  know  it  as  well  as  the 
next  man.  The  silver  vase  belongs  to  the  Sea 

o 

Foam." 

"Not  at  all,"  protested  Donald.  "This  last 
race  was  not  for  the  vase,  and  you  won  the  first 
one  fairly." 

"Of  course  the  vase  belongs  to  the  commo 
dore,'  '  added  Rodman.  "The  judges  have  already 
awarded  and  presented  the  prizes." 

This  was  the  unanimous  sentiment  of  all  con 
cerned,  and  Robert  consented  to  retain  the  first 
prize. 

"I  say,  Don  John,"  continued  the  commodore, 
removing  his  wet  coat  and  cap,  "I  want  to  have 
an  understanding  about  the  affair.  While  I  own 
that  the  Skylark  has  been  beaten,  I  ana  not  so 
clear  that  the  Sea  Foam  is  the  faster  boat  of  the 
two." 

"I  think  she  is,  commodore,"  laughed  Donald ; 
"though  I  believe  I  understand  your  position." 

"We  made  an  even  thing  of  it  till  we  came  up 
with  Turtle  Head— didn't  we?" 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  177 

"Yes,  that's  so.  If  either  gained  anything  for 
the  moment,  he  lost  it  again,"  replied  Donald. 

"Then,  if  we  made  exactly  the  same  time  to 
Turtle  Head,  it  seems  to  me  the  merits  of  the  two 
boats  are  about  the  same.'* 

"Not  exactly,  commodore.  You  forget  that  the 
Skylark  has  to  give  time  to  the  Sea  Foam — one 
and  three-tenths  seconds  per  mile ;  or  about  eight 
seconds  from  here  to  the  Head." 

"That's  next  to  nothing,"  laughed  Robert. 
"But  I  was  a  length  ahead  of  you." 

"I  let  you  gain  that,  so  that  I  could  go  to  wind 
ward  of  you." 

"You  made  your  first  point  by  running  nearer 
to  the  rocks  than  I  like  to  go,  by  which  you  cut 
off  a  little  of  the  distance ;  and  inches  counted  in 
so  close  a  race." 

"That's  part  of  the  game   in  sailing  a  race." 

"I  know  that,  and  it's  all  perfectly  fair.  I  lost 
half  my  time  when  the  squall  came.  I  thought  it 
was  going  to  be  heavier  than  it  proved  to  be." 

"I  threw  the  Sea  Foam  up  into  the  wind  when 
it  came,"  said  Donald. 

"But  you  didn't  drop  your  peak,  and  I  lost  two 
minutes  in  doing  it.  Now,  Don  John,  I  can  put 
12 


178  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

my  finger  on  the  four  minutes  by  which  you  beat 
me;  and  I  don't  think  there  is  any  difference 
between  the  two  yachts." 

1  <  You  forget  the  allowance." 

' 'That's  nolLing.  In  all  future  regattas  the 
result  will  depend  more  upon  the  sailing  than 
upon  the  boats." 

"I  think  you  are  quite  right,  Bob;  and  the 
fellow  who  makes  the  most  mistakes  will  lose  the 
race.  But  when  the  Maud  is  done  she  is  going  to 
beat  you  right  along,  if  she  has  anything  like  fair 
play,"  laughed  Donald. 

"She  may  if  she  can,"  replied  Robert. 

The  reputation  of  Ramsay  &  Son,  boat  builders, 
was  greatly  increased  by  the  result  of  the  race. 
If  Edward  Patterdale  was  a  little  mortified  to  have 
it  demonstrated  that  the  Sea  Foam  had  lost  the 
first  prize  by  his  own  want  of  skill  and  tact  in 
sailing  her,  he  was  consoled  by  the  fact  that 
Commodore  Montague,  who  had  the  credit  of 
being  the  best  skipper  in  Belfast,  had  been  beaten 
by  his  yacht.  When  the  shower  was  over  the 
party  went  on  shore,  and  Donald  hastened  to  the 
shop  to  attend  to  business.  He  found  that  his 
men  had  done  a  good  day's  work  in  his  absence, 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  179 

and  he  related  to  Kennedy  all  the  particulars  of 
the  two  races. 

"It  would  have  been  a  bad  egg  for  you  if  you 
had  not  been  present,"  said  Kennedy,  much  in 
terested  in  the  story.  "In  these  regattas  the 
sailing  of  the  yacht  is  half  the  battle,  and  these 
young  fellows  may  ruin  your  reputation  as  a  boat- 
builder,  if  you  don't  look  out  for  them." 

"When  I  heard  Ned  Patterdale  say  he  was  dis 
appointed  in  the  Sea  Foam,  I  felt  that  our  business 
was  nearly  ruined.  I  think  I  have  done  a  good 
thing  for  our  firm  to-day." 

"So  you  have,  Donald;  and  when  the  Maud  is 
finished,  I  hope  you  will  sail  her  yourself  in  the 
first  race  she  enters." 

"I  will,  if  Sam  Rodman  consents." 

Donald  paid  off  his  men  that  night  from  the 
money  received  from  Mr.  Rodman.  The  next 
week  he  employed  another  hand,  and  worked  dil 
igently  himself.  Every  day  his  mother  came  out 
to  see  how  the  work  progressed,  as  she  began  to 
have  some  hope  herself  of  the  success  of  the  firm 
of  Ramsay  &  Son.  Donald  paid  her  all  the  fees 
he  received  for  measuring  yachts,  and  thus  far  this 
had  been  enough  to  support  the  family.  She  did 


180  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

not  inquire  very  closely  into  the  financial  affairs 
of  the  concern,  and  the  active  member  of  it  was 
not  very  communicative ;  but  she  had  unbounded 
confidence  in  him,  and  while  he  was  hopeful  she 
was  satisfied. 

It  would  be  tedious  to  follow  the  young  builder 
through  all  the  details  of  his  business.  The  frame 
of  the  Maud  was  all  set  up  in  due  time,  and  then 
planked.  By  the  first  of  August,  when  the  vaca 
tion  at  the  High  School  commenced,  she  was  ready 
to  be  launched.  All  the  joiner  work  on  deck  and 
in  the  cabin  was  completed,  and  had  received  two 
coats  of  paint.  Mr.  Rodman  had  paid  a  hundred 
dollars  every  week  on  account,  which  was  more 
than  Donald  needed  to  carry  on  the  work,  and  the 
affairs  of  Ramsay  &  Son  were  in  a  very  prosperous 
condition. 

On  the  day  of  the  launch,  the  Yacht  Club  at 
tended  in  a  body,  and  all  the  young  ladies  of  the 
High  School  were  present.  Miss  Maud  Rodman, 
with  a  bottle  in  her  hand,  had  consented  formally 
to  give  her  own  name  to  the  beautiful  craft.  Nel 
lie  Patterdale  was  to  be  on  deck  with  her,  attended 
by  Donald  and  Sam  Rodman.  The  boarding  at  the 
end  of  the  shop  had  been  removed,  to  allow  the 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  181 

passage  of  the  yacht  into  her  future  element.  The 
ways  had  been  laid  down  into  the  water,  and  well 
slushed.  It  was  high  tide  at  ten  o'clock,  and  this 
hour  had  been  chosen  for  the  great  event. 

"Are  you  all  ready,  Mr.  Kennedy?"  asked 
Donald. 

"All  ready,"  replied  the  workman. 

"Let her  slide!"  shouted  the  boat-builder. 

A  few  smart  blows  with  the  hammers  removed 
the  dog-shores  and  the  wedges,  and  the  Maud 
began  to  move  very  slowly  at  first.  Those  on 
deck  were  obliged  to  stoop  until  the  hull  had 
passed  out  of  the  shop. 

"Now  stand  up,"  said  Donald,  as  the  yacht 
passed  the  end  of  the  shop ;  and  he  thrust  a  long 
pole,  with  a  flag  attached  to  the  end,  into  the  mast 
hole. 

The  boat  increased  her  speed  as  she  advanced, 
and  soon  struck  the  water  with  a  splash. 

"Now  break  the  bottle,  Maud,"  added  Donald. 

"I  give  this  yacht  the  name  of  Maud,"  said  Miss 
Eodman,  in  a  loud  tone,  as  she  broke  the  bottle 
upon  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit. 

"Won't  she  tip  over,  Don  John?"  asked  Nellie. 

"Not  at  all;  nearly  all  her  ballast  has  been  put 


182  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

into  her,  and  she  will  stand  up  like  a  queen  on  the 
water/'  answered  Donald,  proudly,  as  he  realized 
that  the  launch  was  a  perfect  success. 

Loud  cheers  from  the  crowd  on  shore  greeted 
the  yacht  as  she  went  into  the  embrace  of  her 
chosen  element.  The  ladies  waved  their  handker 
chiefs,  and  the  gentlemen  their  hats.  Maud  and 
Nellie  returned  the  salute,  and  so  did  Sam  Kod- 
man;  but  Donald  was  too  busy,  just  then,  even  to 
enjoy  his  triumph.  As  the  hull  slid  off  into  the 
deep  water,  the  boat-builder  threw  over  the  an 
chor,  and  veered  out  the  cable  till  her  headway 
was  checked.  The  Maud  rested  on  the  water  as 
gracefully  as  a  swan,  and  the  work  of  the  day  was 
done. 

Hardly  had  the  yacht  brought  up  at  her  cable, 
when  the  Juno,  in  which  Laud  Cavendish  had  been 
laying  off  and  on  where  he  could  see  the  launch, 
ran  alongside  of  her. 

"Keep  off!"  shouted  Donald;  "you  will  scrape 
her  sides." 

"No;  hold  on,  Don  John;  I  have  a  cork  fen 
der,"  replied  Laud,  as  he  threw  his  painter  on 
board  of  the  Maud.  "Catch  a  turn — will  you?" 

"Don't  let  him  come  on  board,  if  you  can  help 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  183 

it,"  whispered  Nellie  Patterdale.  "He  is  a  terri 
ble  bore." 

"I  ean  help  it,"  replied  Donald,  as,  with  a 
boat-hook  he  shoved  off  the  bow  of  the  Juno. 

Then,  for  the  first  time,  he  observed  that  Laud 
had  a  passenger,  a  man  whom  he  remembered  to 
have  seen  before,  though  he  did  not  think  where. 

"What  are  you  about,  Don  John?"  demanded 
Laud. 

"Keep  off,  then,"  replied  Donald.  "We  don't 
want  any  visitors  on  board  yet.  We  are  going 
to  haul  her  up  to  the  wharf  at  once." 

"But  I  came  off  to  offer  the  ladies  a  passage  to 
the  shore,"  said  Laud. 

"They  don't  want  any  passage  to  the  shore." 

"Good  morning,  Miss  Patterdale,"  added  Laud, 
as  Nellie  went  to  the  rail  near  the  Juno.  "Allow 
me  to  offer  you  a  place  in  this  boat  to  convey  you 
to  the  shore." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Cavendish;  I  intend  to  remain 
where  I  am,"  replied  she,  rather  haughtily. 

"I  shall  be  happy  to  take  you  out  to  sail,  if  you 
will  do  me  the  honor  to  accompany  me ;  and  Miss 
Rodman,  too,  if  she  will  go." 

"No,  I  thank  you;  lam  otherwise  engaged," 


184  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OB 

answered  Nellie,  as  she  retreated  to  the  other  side 
of  the  yacht. 

"I  say,  Donald,  let  me  come  on  board,"  asked 
Laud,  who  was  desperately  bent  upon  improving 
his  acquaintance  with  Nellie  Patterdale. 

4 'Not  now;  you  can  come  on  board  at  the 
wharf." 

Donald  was  resolute,  and  Laud,  angry  at  his 
rebuff,  filled  away. 

4 'Here  is  a  man  that  wants  to  see  you,  Don 
John, "  shouted  Laud,  as  he  ran  his  boat  up  to  the 
Maud  again. 

"I  can't  see  him  now,"  replied  Donald. 

Kennedy  now  came  alongside  in  the  skiff,  bring 
ing  a  warp-line  from  the  shore,  by  which  the  Maud 
was  hauled  up  to  the  wharf.  The  spectators  went 
on  board,  and  examined  the  work.  Many  of  them 
crawled  into  the  cabin  and  cook-room,  and  all  of 
them  were  enthusiastic  in  their  praise,  though  a 
few  seasoned  it  with  wholesome  criticism.  Some 
thought  the  cabin  ought  to  be  longer,  evidently 
believing  that  it  was  possible  to  put  a  quart  of 
water  into  a  pint  bottle ;  others  thought  she  ought 
to  be  rigged  as  a  schooner  instead  of  a  sloop,  which 
was  a  matter  of  fancy  with  the  owner ;  but  all 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  185 

agreed  that  she  was  a  beautiful  yacht.  In  honor- 
of  the  event,  and  to  please  the  young  people,  Mr. 
Rodman  had  prepared  a  collation  at  his  house,  to 
which  the  members  of  the  Yacht  Club  and  others 
were  cordially  invited.  Kennedy  and  the  other 
men  who  worked  on  the  Maud  were  included  in 
the  invitation,  and  the  afternoon  was  to  be  a  hol 
iday.  Laud  Cavendish,  who  had  moored  the  Juno 
and  come  on  shore,  liberally  interpreted  the  invi 
tation  to  include  himself,  and  joined  the  party, 
though  he  was  not  a  member  of  the  club.  Some 
people  have  a  certain  exuberance  on  the  side  of 
their  faces,  which  enables  them  to  do  things  which 
others  cannot  do. 

"I  want  to  see  you,  Don  John,"  said  Laud,  as 
the  party  began  to  move  from  the  wharf  towards 
the  mansion  of  Mr.  Rodman. 

"I'll  see  you  this  evening,"  replied  Donald, 
who  was  anxious  to  gain  a  position  at  the  side  of 
Miss  Nellie  Patterdale. 

"That  will  be  too  late.  You  saw  the 'man  in 
the  Juno  with  me — didn't  you?"  continued  Laud, 
proceeding  to  open  his  business. 

"I  saw  him." 

"Did  you  know  him?" 


186  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

"No;  though  I  thought  Iliad  seen  him  before," 
replied  Donald,  as  they  walked  along  in  the  rear 
of  the  party. 

"He  is  the  man  who  was  beaten  within  an  inch 
of  his  life  over  to  Lincolnville,  a  while  ago." 

"Hasbrook?" 

"Yes,  his  name  is  Jacob  Hasbrook." 

"He  was  with  us  in  the  library  of  Captain  Pat- 
terdale  the  day  we  were  there,  when  the  man  had 
a  sun-stroke." 

"Was  he  ?  Well,  I  don't  remember  that.  Folks 
say  he  is  a  big  rascal,  and  the  licking  he  got  was 
no  more  than  he  deserved.  He  was  laid  up  for  a 
month  after  it ;  but  now  he  and  the  sheriff  are  try 
ing  to  find  out  who  did  it." 

Donald  was  interested,  in  spite  of  himself,  and 
for  the  time  even  forgot  the  pleasant  smile  of 
Nellie,  which  was  a  great  deal  for  him  to  forget. 

"Has  he  any  idea  who  it  was  that  beat  him?" 

"I  don't  know  whether  he  has  or  not.  He  only 
asks  questions,  and  don't  answer  any.  You  know 
I  met  you  over  to  Turtle  Head  the  morning  after 
the  affair  in  Lincolnville." 

"I  remember  all  about  it,"   answered  Donald. 

"I  saw  you   in  the  Juno  afterwards.     By  the 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  187 

way,  Don  John,  you  didn't  tell  me  how  you  hap 
pened  to  be  in  the  Juno  at  that  tiihc.  I  don't  rec 
ollect  whether  you  had  her  at  Turtle  Head,  or  not. 
I  don't  think  I  saw  her  there,  at  any  rate." 

"No  matter  whether  you  did  or  not.  Go  on 
with  your  story,  for  we  are  almost  to  Mr.  Rod 
man's  house,"  replied  Donald,  impatiently. 

"Well,  after  I  left  you,  I  ran  over  towards  Sat 
urday  Cove, ' '  continued  Laud.  *  'You  know  where 
that  is." 

"Of  course  I  do." 

This  was  the  place  towards  which  Captain  Shiv- 
ernock  had  gone  in  the  sail-boat,  and  where  Laud 
had  probably  seen  him,  when  he  gave  him  the 
money  paid  for  the  Juno.  Laud  did  not  say  that 
this  was  the  time  and  place  he  had  met  the  captain, 
but  Donald  was  entirely  satisfied  on  this  point. 

"From  Saturday  Cove  I  ran  on  the  other  tack 
over  to  Gilky's  Harbor,"  added  Laud. 

"Did  you  see  anybody  near  the  cove?" 

"I  didn't  say  whether  I  did  or  not,"  replied 
Laud,  after  some  hesitation,  which  confirmed  Don 
ald's  belief  that  he  had  met  the  captain  on  this 
occasion.  "Nevermind  that.  Off  Gilky's  Har 
bor  I  hailed  Tom  Reed,  who  had  been  a  fishing. 


188  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

It  seems  that  Tom  told  Hasbrook  he  saw  me  that 
forenoon,  and  Hasbrook  has  been  to  see  me  half 
a  dozen  times  about  it.  I  don't  know  whether  he 
thinks  I  am  the  fellow  that  thrashed  him,  or  not. 
He  has  pumped  me  dry  about  it.  I  happened 
to  let  on  that  I  saw  you,  and  Hasbrook  wants  to 
talk  with  you. "  • 

By  this  time  they  reached  Mr.  Rodman's  house, 
and  to  the  surprise  of  Donald,  Laud  Cavendish 
coolly  walked  into  the  grounds  with  him. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  189 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    WHITE    CROSS    OF   DENMARK. 

LAUD  CAVENDISH  was  at  Donald's  side 
when  they  entered  the  grounds  of  Mr.  Rod 
man,  where  the  tables  were  spread  under  the  trees 
in  the  garden.  As  the  collation  was  in  honor  of 
the  launch  of  the  Maud,  of  course  the  young  boat- 
builder  was  a  person  of  no  little  consequence,  and 
being  with  him,  Laud  was  permitted  to  enter  the 
grounds  unchallenged;  but  they  soon  separated. 
Donald  was  disturbed  by  what  Laud  had  told 
him,  and  he  did  not  wish  to  answer  any  questions 
which  might  be  put  to  him  by  Hasbrook,  who  was 
evidently  working  his  own  case,  trying  to  ascertain 
who  had  committed  the  outrage  upon  him.  He 
did  not  wish  to  tell  whom  he  had  seen  on  that 
Saturday  forenoon,  and  thus  violate  the  confidence 
of  Captain  Shivernock.  But  he  was  entirely  sat 
isfied  that  the  captain  had  nothing  to  do  with  it, 


190  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

for  he  had  not  left  his  house  until  after  the  deed 
was  done,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Sykes  and 
his  wife,  whom  he  had  separately  interviewed.  To 
decline  to  answer  Hasbrook's  questions,  on  the 
other  hand,  was  to  excite  suspicion.  He  could 
not  tell  any  lies  about  the  case.  If  he  could,  it 
would  have  been  easily  managed;  as  it  was,  the 
situation  was  very  awkward.  But  he  had  not  time 
to  think  much  of  the  matter,  for  one  and  another 
began  to  congratulate  him  upon  the  success  of  the 
launch,  the  fine  proportions  and  the  workmanship 
of  the  Maud.  The  praise  of  Captain  Patterdale 
was  particularly  agreeable  to  him;  but  the  best 
news  he  heard  was  that  Major  Norwood  intended 
to  have  a  yacht  built  for  his  son,  and  would  prob 
ably  give  the  job  to  Ramsay  &  Son. 

"Well,  Don  John,  you  are  a  real  lion,"  laughed 
Nellie  Patterdale,  when,  at  last,  the  young  boat- 
builder  obtained  a  place  at  her  side,  which  had 
been  the  objective  point  with  him  since  he  entered 
the  grounds. 

"Better  be  a  lion  than  a  bear,"  replied  Donald. 

"Everybody  says  you  have  built  a  splendid 
yacht,  and  Maud  is  delighted  to  have  it  named 
after  her." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  191 

"I  think  the  Sea  Foam  ought  to  have  been  called 
the  Nellie, "  added  Donald. 

"Pooh!  I  asked  Ned  to  call  her  the  Sea  Foam." 

"If  I  ever  build  a  yacht  on  my  own  account,  I 
shall  certainly  name  her  the  Nellie  Patterdale," 
continued  Donald,  though  the  remark  cost  him  a 
terrible  struggle. 

"I  thank  you,  Don  John;  but  I  hope  you  will 
never  build  one  on  your  own  account,  then, "  an 
swered  she,  with  a  slight  blush. 

"Why,  wouldn't  you  like  to  have  a  boat  named 
after  you?"  asked  he,  rather  taken  aback  at  her 
reply. 

"I  shouldn't  like  to  have  my  whole  name  given 
to  a  boat.  It  is  too  long." 

"O,  well!   Then  I  shall  call  her  the  Nellie." 

"You  are  too  late,  Don  John,"  laughed  Laud 
Cavendish,  who  was  standing  within  hearing  dis 
tance,  and  who  now  stepped  forward,  raised  his 
hat,  bowed,  and  smirked.  "I  have  already  ordered 
the  painter  to  inscribe  that  word  on  the  bows  and 
stern  of  the  Juno,  for  I  never  liked  her  present 
name." 

Nellie  blushed  deeper  than  before,  but  it  was 
with  anger  this  time,  though  she  made  no  reply  to 


192  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

Laud's  impudent  remark.  At  this  moment  Mr. 
Kodman  invited  the  party  to  gather  around  the 
tables  and  partake  of  the  collation. 

"Will  Miss  Patterdale  allow  me  to  offer  her  my 
arm?"  added  Laud,  as  he  thrust  his  elbow  up 
before  her. 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  she  replied,  walking  to 
wards  the  tables,  but  keeping  at  Donald's  side. 

The  boat-builder  had  not  the  courage  to  offer 
her  his  arm,  though  some  of  the  sons  of  the  nabobs 
had  done  so  to  the  ladies;  but  he  kept  at  her  side. 
Laud  was  desperate,  for  Nellie  seemed  to  be  the 
key  of  destiny  to  him.  If  he  could  win  her  heart 
and  hand,  or  even  her  hand  without  the  heart,  his 
fortune  would  be  made,  and  the  wealth  and  social 
position  of  which  cruel  fate  had  thus  far  robbed 
him  would  be  obtained.  Though  she  snubbed  him, 
he  could  not  see  it,  and  would  not  accept  the  sit 
uation.  If  Donald  had  not  been  there,  she  would 
not  have  declined  his  offered  arm ;  and  he  regarded 
the  boat-builder  as  the  only  obstacle  in  his  path. 

*'I  wish  you  had  not  invited  that  puppy,  Don 
John,"  said  Nellie,  as  they  moved  towards  the 
tables ;  and  there  was  a  snap  in  her  tones  which 
emphasized  the  remark. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  193 

"I  didn't  invite  him,"  replied  Donald,  warmty. 

"He  carne  in  with  you,  and  Mr.  Rodman  said 
you  must  have  asked  him." 

"Indeed,  I  did  not;  I  had  no  right  to  invite 
him,"  protested  Donald. 

Nellie  immediately  told  this  to  the  host  of  the 
occasion,  and  in  doing  so  she  left  Donald  for  a 
moment. 

"Why  don't  you  get  out  of  the  way,  Don  John, 
when  you  see  what  I  am  up  to?"  said  Laud,  in  a 
low  tone,  but  earnestly  and  indignantly,  as  though 
Donald  had  stepped  between  him  and  the  cheerful 
destiny  in  which  his  imagination  revelled. 

"What  are  you  up  to  ?" 

"I  told  you  before  that  I  liked  Nellie,  and  you 
are  all  the  time  coming  between  me  and  her.  She 
would  have  taken  my  arm  if  you  had  stepped 
aside." 

"I  don't  choose  to  step  aside,"   added  Donald. 

"I  want  to  get  in  there,  Don  John,"  added 
Laud,  in  a  milder  tone. 

"Paddle  your  own  canoe." 

"You  don't  care  anything  about  her." 

"How  do  you  know  I  don't?" 

"Do  you?" 
13 


194  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

< 'That's  my  affair/' 

"She  don't  care  for  you." 

" Nor  you,  either." 

"Perhaps  not  now,  but  I  can  make  it  all  right 
with  her,"  said  Laud,  as  he  twirled  his  colored 
mustache,  which  he  probably  regarded  as  a  lady- 
killer.  * 'Besides,  you  are  not  old  enough  to  think 
of  such  things  yet,  Don  John." 

44  Well,  I  don't  think  of  such  things  yet,"  replied 
Donald,  who  really  spoke  only  the  truth,  so  far  as 
he  was  consciously  concerned. 

* 'But  you  ought  not  to  stick  by  her  to-day.  You 
are  the  boat-builder,  and  you  should  bestow  your 
attentions  upon  Maud  Rodman,  after  whom  the 
yacht  was  named.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  man 
who  gave  you  the  job.  If  you  will  just  keep  away 
from  Nellie,  I  can  paddle  my  own  canoe,  as  you 
say." 

"Mr.  Cavendish,"  interposed  Mr.  Rodman,  "I 
believe  you  are  not  a  member  of  the  Belfast  Yacht 
Club." 

"I  am  not  yet,  but  I  intend  to  join,"  replied 
Laud. 

"In  the  mean  time,  this  occasion  is  for  the 
members  of  the  club  and  their  friends;  and  I  wish 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  195 

to  suggest  the  propriety  of  your  withdrawing,  as  I 
believe  you  are  here  without  an  invitation," 
added  Mr.  Rodman. 

"I  came  with  Don  John,"  said  Laud,  rather 
startled  by  the  plain  speech  of  the  host. 

"If  Don  John  invited  you — " 

"I  didn't  invite  him,  or  any  one  else.  I  did 
not  consider  that  I  had  any  right  to  do  so,"  pro 
tested  Donald,  as  he  walked  forward  and  joined 
Nellie. 

Laud  could  not  gainsay  this  honest  avowal ;  but 
there  was  no  limit  to  his  wrath  at  that  moment, 
and  he  determined  to  punish  the  boat- builder  for 
"going  back"  on  him,  as  he  regarded  it. 

The  collation  was  a  sumptuous  one,  for  when 
Belfast  nabobs  do  anything,  they  do  it.  The 
guests  had  good  appetites,  and  did  abundant  justice 
to  the  feast.  The  incident  of  which  Laud  Caven 
dish  had  been  the  central  figure  caused  some  talk 
and  some  laughter. 

"He  had  the  impudence  to  say  he  was  going  to 
name  his  boat  after  me,"  said  Nellie  Patterdale. 
"He  don't  like  the  name  of  Juno." 

"Does  he  own  the  Juno?"  asked  Captain  Pat 
terdale,  quietly. 


196  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"I  suppose  he  does." 

"How  is  that,  Don  John?"  added  the  captain. 

"Yes,  sir,  he  owns  her;  Captain  Shivernock  got 
tired  of  the  Juno,  and  Laud  bought  her." 

Captain  Patter  dale  made  a  note  of  that  piece  of 
information,  and  regarded  it  as  a  clew  to  assist  in 
the  discovery  of  the  tin  box,  which  had  not  yet 
been  found,  though  the  owner  and  the  deputy 
sheriff  had  been  looking  diligently  for  it  ever  since 
its  disappearance. 

"What  did  he  pay  for  her?"  inquired  Captain 
Patterdale. 

"Three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,"  answered 
Donald,  who  hoped  he  would  not  be  asked  of  whom 
Laud  had  bought  the  Juno. 

The  captain  did  not  ask  the  question,  for  it 
seemed  to  be  self-evident  that  he  had  purchased 
her  of  Captain  Shivernock.  Indeed,  nothing  more 
was  said  about  the  matter.  A  dance  on  the  shaven 
lawn  followed  the  collation,  and  the  guests  re 
mained  until  the  dews  of  evening  began  to  fall. 
Donald  walked  home  with  Nellie,  and  then  went 
to  the  shop.  He  expected  to  find  Hasbrook  there, 
but  he  had  returned  to  Lincolnville.  He  saw  that 
the  sails  for  the  Maud  had  been  sent  down  during 

o 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  197 

his  absence,  and  on  the  desk  lay  the  bill  for  them, 
enclosed  in  an  envelope,  directed  to  "Messrs. 
Ramsay  &  Son."  While  he  was  looking  at  it, 
Mr.  Leach,  the  sail-maker,  entered  the  shop.  He 
had  come  to  look  after  his  money,  for  possibly  he 
had  not  entire  confidence  in  the  financial  stability 
of  the  firm. 

"Have  you  looked  over  those  sails,  Don  John?" 
asked  Leach. 

"Not  yet;  it  is  rather  too  dark  to  examine  them 
to-night,"  replied  Donald. 

"That's  the  best  suit  of  sails  I  ever  made/' 
added  the  sail-maker.  "You  said  you  wanted  the 
best  that  could  be  had." 

*  'I  did. ' '  And  Donald  unrolled  them.  <  'They 
look  like  a  good  job." 

"If  they  are  not  as  good  as  anything  that  ever 
went  on  a  boat,  I'll  make  you  another  suit  for 
nothing.  I  was  in  hopes  you  would  look  them 
over  to-night.  I  don't  want  to  trouble  you,  Don 
John,  but  I'm  a  little  short  of  money.  Captain 
Patterdale  has  a  mortgage  on  my  house,  and  I  like 
to  pay  the  interest  on  it  the  day  it  is  due.  You 
said  you  would  let  me  have  the  money  when  tho 
sails  were  delivered." 

"And  so  I  will." 


198  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"If  they  are  not  all  right,  I  will  make  them 
so,"  added  Leach.  "I  should  like  to  pay  the 
captain  my  interest  money  to-night,  if  I  can." 

"You  can.  I  will  go  into  the  house  and  get  the 
money." 

Donald  went  to  his  room  in  the  cottage,  and 
took  from  their  hiding-place  the  bills  which  had 
been  paid  to  him  by  Laud  Cavendish  for  the  Juno. 
Without  this  he  had  not  enough  to  pay  the  sail- 
maker.  He  did  not  like  to  use  this  money,  for  he 
was  not  fully  satisfied  that  Laud  would  not  get 
into  trouble  on  account  of  it,  or  that  he  might  not 
himself  have  some  difficulty  with  Captain  Shiver- 
nock.  He  feared  that  he  should  be  called  upon  to 
refund  this  money;  but  Mr.  Kodmau  would  pay 
him  another  instalment  of  the  price  of  the  Maud 
in  a  few  days,  and  he  should  then  be  in  condition 
to  meet  any  demand  upon  him.  Laud  had  paid 
him  seven  fifty-dollar  bills,  and  he  put  them  in  his 
pocket.  As  he  passed  through  the  kitchen,  he 
lighted  the  lantern,  and  returned  to  the  shop. 

"I  didn't  mean  to  dun  you  up  so  sharp  for  this 
bill,"  said  Leach;  "but  I  haven't  a  dollar  in  my 
pocket  at  this  minute,  and  I  am  very  anxious  to  be 
punctual  in  the  payment  of  my  interest." 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  199 

"It's  all  right;  I  had  as  lief  pay  it  now  as  at 
any  other  time.  In  fact,  I  like  to  pay  up  as  soon 
as  the  work  is  done,"  replied  Donald,  as  he  handed 
the  sail-maker  three  of  the  fifty-dollar  bills,  which 
was  the  price  agreed  upon  for  the  sails,  five  in 
number. 

Leach  looked  carefully  at  each  of  the  bills.  All 
of  them  were  quite  new  and  fresh,  and  one  was 
peculiar  enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  any  one 
through  whose  hands  it  might  pass.  It  was  just 
like  the  others,  but  at  some  period,  not  very 
remote  in  its  history,  it  had  been  torn  into  four 
parts.  It  might  have  been  in  a  sheet  of  note 
paper,  torn  up  by  some  one  who  did  not  know  the 
bill  was  between  the  leaves.  It  had  been  mended 
with  two  narrow  slips  of  thin,  white  paper,  extend 
ing  across  the  length  and  width  of  the  bill,  like 
the  horizontal  white  cross  on  the  flag  of  Denmark. 

"That  bill  has  been  in  four  pieces,"  said  Leach, 
as  he  turned  it  over  and  examined  it;  "but  I  sup 
pose  it  is  good." 

"If  it  is  not,  I  will  give  you  another  for  it," 
answered  Donald. 

"It  is  all  here ;  so  I  think  it  is  all  right.  I  won 
der  who  tore  it  up." 


200  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OK 

"I  don't  know;  it  was  so  when  I  took  it." 

"I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Don  John; 
and  the  next  time  I  make  a  suit  of  sails  for  you, 
you  needn't  pay  me  till  you  get  ready,"  said  the 
sail-maker,  as  he  put  the  money  in  his  wallet. 

"I  didn't  pay  for  this  suit  till  I  got  ready," 
laughed  the  boat-builder;  "and when  you  get  up 
another,  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  pay  you  the  cash 
for  them." 

Leach  left  the  shop  a  happy  man;  for  most  men 
are  cheerful  when  they  have  plenty  of  money  in 
their  pocket.  He  was  more  especially  happy 
because,  being  an  honest  man,  he  was  able  now 
to  pay  the  interest  on  the  mortgage  note  on  the 
day  it  was  due.  He  had  worked  half  the  night 
before  in  order  to  finish  the  sails,  so  that  he  might 
get  the  money  to  pay  it.  With  a  light  step, 
therefore,  he  walked  to  the  elegant  mansion  of 
Captain  Patterdale,  and  rang  the  bell  at  the  library 
door.  There  was  a  light  in  the  room,  which 
indicated  that  the  captain  was  at  home.  He  was 
admitted  by  the  nabob  himself,  who  answered  his 
own  bell  at  this  door. 

"I  suppose  you  thought  I  wasn't  going  to  pay 
my  interest  on  the  day  it  was  due,"  said  Leach, 
with  a  cheerful  smile. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDEE.  201 

"On  the  contrary,  I  didn't  think  anything  at 
all  about  it,"  replied  Captain  Patterdale.  "I  was 
not  even  aware  that  your  interest  was  due  to-day. ' ' 

"I  came  pretty  near  not  paying  it,  for  work  has 
been  rather  slack  this  season;  but  the  firm  of 
Ramsay  &  Son  helped  me  out  by  paying  me 
promptly  for  the  sails  I  made  for  the  Maud." 

"Ramsay  &  Son  is  a  great  concern,"  laughed 
the  nabob. 

"It  pays  promptly;  and  that's  more  than  all  of 
them  do,"  added  Leach,  drawing  his  wallet  from 
his  pocket. 

"I  haven't  your  note  by  me,  Mr.  Leach,"  said 
Captain  Patterdale;  but  he  did  not  consider  it 
necessary  to  state  that  the  important  document 
was  at  that  moment  in  the  tin  box,  wherever  the 
said  tin  box  might  be.  "I  will  give  you  a  receipt 
for  the  amount  you  pay,  and  indorse  it  upon  the 
note  when  I  have  it. ' ' 

"All  right,  captain." 

"Do  you  know  how  much  the  interest  is?  I  am 
sure  I  have  forgotten,"  added  the  rich  man. 

"I  ought  to  know.  I  have  had  to  work  too  hard 
to  get  the  money  in  time  to  forget  how  much  it 
was.  It  is  just  seventy  dollars,"  answered  Leach, 


202  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

"You  needn't  pay  it  now,  if  you  are  short." 

"I'm  not  short  now.  I'm  flush,  for  which  I 
thank  Don  John,"  said  the  sail-maker,  as  he 
placed  two  of  the  fifty-dollar  bills  on  the  desk, 
at  which  the  captain  was  writing  the  receipt. 

The  uppermost  of  the  two  bills  was  the  mended 
one,  for  Leach  thought  if  there  was  any  doubt  in 
regard  to  this,  it  ought  to  be  known  at  once.  If 
the  nabob  would  take  it,  the  matter  was  settled. 
Captain  Patterdale  wrote  the  receipt,  and  did  not 
at  once  glance  at  the  money. 

"There's  a  hundred,  captain,"  added  the  sail- 
maker. 

The  rich  man  picked  up  the  bills,  and  turned 
over  the  upper  one.  If  he  did  not  start,  it  was 
not  because  he  was  not  surprised.  He  was  utterly 
confounded  when  he  saw  that  bill,  and  his  thoughts 
flashed  quickly  through  his  mind.  But  he  did  not 
betray  his  thoughts  or  his  emotions,  quick  as  were 
the  former,  and  intense  as  were  the  latter.  He 
took  up  the  mended  bill,  and  looked  it  over  sev 
eral  times. 

"That's  the  white  cross  of  Denmark,"  said  he, 
suppressing  his  emotions. 

"Isn't  the  bill  good?"   asked  the  sail-maker. 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  203 

"Good  as  gold  for  eighty-eight  cents  on  a  dol 
lar,"  replied  the  captain. 

"Then  it  is  not  good,"  added  Leach,  who  did 
not  quite  comprehend  the  nabob's  mathematics. 

"Yes,  it  is." 

"But  you  say  it  is  worth  only  eighty-eight  cents 
on  a  dollar." 

"That  is  all  any  paper  dollar  is  worth  when  gold 
is  a  little  rising  fourteen  per  cent,  premium.  The 
bill  is  perfectly  good,  in  spite  of  the  white  cross 
upon  it.  You  want  thirty  dollars  change." 

The  captain  counted  out  this  sum,  and  handed 
it  to  the  debtor. 

"If  the  bill  isn't  good,  I  can  give  you  another," 
replied  Leach,  as  he  took  the  money. 

"It  is  a  good  bill,  and  I  prefer  it  to  any  other 
for  certain  reasons  of  my  own.  It  has  the  white 
cross  of  Denmark  upon  it;  at  least,  the  white  bars 
on  this  bill  remind  me  of  the  flag  of  that  nation." 

"It's  like  a  flag — is  it?"  added  the  sail-maker, 
who  did  not  understand  the  rich  man's  allusion. 

"Like  the  flag  of  Denmark.  I  made  a  voyage 
to  Copenhagen  once,  and  this  bill  reminds  me  of 
the  merchant's  flag,  which  has  a  couple  of  white 
bars  across  a  red  ground.  Where  did  you  say  you 
got  this  bill,  Mr.  Leach?" 


204  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"Don  John  gave  it  to  me,  not  half  an  hour  ago." 

6 'It  has  been  torn  into  quarters  some  time,  and 
the  pieces  put  together  again.  Did  Don  John 
mend  the  bill  himself  ?" 

"No,  sir;  he  says  the  bill  is  just  as  it  was  when 
he  received  it.  I  looked  at  it  pretty  sharp  when 
I  took  it;  but  he  said  if  it  wasn't  good,  he  would 
give  me  another." 

"It  is  perfectly  good.  Did  he  tell  you  where 
he  got  the  bill?"  asked  Captain  Patterdale,  man 
ifesting  none  of  the  emotion  which  agitated  him. 

"No,  sir;  he  did  not.  I  didn't  ask  him.  If  it 
makes  any  difference,  I  will  do  so." 

"It  makes  no  difference  whatever.  It  is  all 
right,  Mr.  Leach." 

The  sail-maker  folded  up  his  receipt,  and  left 
the  library.  He  went  home  with  eighty  dollars 
in  his  pocket,  entirely  satisfied  with  himself ,  with 
the  nabob,  and  especially  with  the  firm  of  Ramsay 
&  Son.  He  did  not  care  a  straw  about  the  white 
cross  of  Denmark,  so  long  as  the  bill  was  good. 
Captain  Patterdale  was  deeply  interested  in  the 
bill  which  bore  this  mark,  and  possibly  he  expect 
ed  to  conquer  by  this  sign.  He  was  not  so  much 
interested  in  the  bill  because  he  had  made  a  voyage 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  205 

up  the  Baltic  and  seen  the  white  cross  there, 
as  because  he  had  seen  it  on  a  bill  in  that  tin  box. 
He  was  not  only  interested,  but  he  was  anxious, 
for  the  active  member  of  the  firm  of  Ramsay  &  Son 
seemed  to  be  implicated  in  a  very  unfortunate  and 
criminal  transaction. 

More  than  once  Captain  Patterdale  had  observed 
the  pleasant  relations  between  Don  John  and  his 
fair  daughter.  As  Nellie  was  a  very  pretty  girl, 
intelligent,  well  educated,  and  agreeable,  and  in 
due  time  would  be  the  heiress  of  a  quarter  or  a 
half  million,  as  the  case  might  be,  he  was  rather 
particular  in  regard  to  the  friendships  she  con 
tracted  with  the  young  gentlemen  of  the  city. 
Possibly  he  did  not  approve  the  intimacy  between 
them.  But  whatever  opinions  he  may  have  enter 
tained  in  regard  to  the  equality  of  social  relations 
between  his  daughter  and  the  future  partner  of  her 
joys  and  sorrows,  we  must  do  him  the  justice  to 
say  that  he  preferred  honor  and  honesty  to  wealth 
and  position  in  the  gentleman  whom  Nellie  might 
choose  for  her  life  companion.  The  suspicion,  or 
rather  the  conviction,  forced  upon  him  by  "the 
white  cross  of  Denmark , ' '  that  Donald  was  neither 
honest  nor  honorable,  was  vastly  more  painful  than 


206  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

the  fact  that  he  was  poor,  and  was  the  son  of  a 
mere  ship  carpenter. 

Certainly  Nellie  did  like  the  young  man,  though, 
as  she  was  hardly  more  than  a  child,  it  might  be  a 
fancy  that  would  pass  away  when  she  realized  the 
difference  between  the  daughter  of  a  nabob  and 
the  son  of  a  ship  carpenter.  While  he  was  think 
ing  of  the  subject,  Nellie  entered  the  library,  as 
she  generally  did  when  her  father  was  alone  there. 
She  was  his  only  confidant  in  the  house  in  the 
matter  of  the  tin  box,  and  he  determined  to  talk 
with  her  about  the  painful  discovery  he  had  just 
made. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  207 


CHAPTER  XH. 

DONALD   ANSWERS   QUESTIONS. 

"  "TTTELL,  Nellie,  did  you  have  a  good  time 
T  T  to-day?"  asked  Captain  Patterdale,  as 
his  daughter  seated  herself  near  his  desk. 

"I  did;  a  capital  time.  Everybody  seemed  to 
enjoy  it,"  replied  she. 

"But  some  seemed  to  enjoy  it  more  than 
others,"  added  the  captain,  with  a  smile. 

"Now,  father!  you  have  something  to  say,"  said 
she, with  a  blush.  "I  wish  you  would  say  it  right 
out,  and  not  torment  me  for  half  an  hour,  trying 
to  guess  what  it  is." 

"Of  course,  if  I  hadn't  anything  to  say,  I  should 
hold  my  tongue,"  laughed  her  father. 

"Everybody  don't." 

"But  I  do." 

"Do  you  think  I  enjoyed  the  occasion  more 
than  any  one  else,  father?" 


208  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"I  thought  you  were  one  of  the  few  who  enjoyed 
it  most." 

"Perhaps  I  was;  but  what  have  I  done?" 

"Done?" 

"What   terrible   sin   have  I  committed  now?" 

"None,  my  child." 

"But  you  are  going  to  tell  me  that  I  have  sinned 
against  the  letter  of  the  law  of  propriety,  or  some 
thing  of  that  kind.  This  is  the  way  you  always 
begin." 

"Then  this  time  is  an  exception  to  all  other 
times,  for  I  haven't  a  word  of  fault  to  find  with 
you." 

"lam  so  glad!  I  was  trying  to  think  what 
wicked  thing  I  had  been  doing." 

"Nothing,  child.  Don  John  seemed  to  be 
supremely  happy  this  afternoon." 

"I  dare  say  he  was;  but  the  firm  of  Ramsay  & 
Son  had  a  successful  launch,  and  Don  John  had 
compliments  enough  to  turn  the  head  of  any  one 
with  a  particle  of  vanity  in  his  composition." 

"No  doubt  of  it;  and  I  suppose  you  were  not 
behind  the  others  in  adding  fuel  to  the  flame." 

"What  flame,  father?" 

"The  flame  of  vanity." 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  209 

"On  the  contrary,  I  don't  think  I  uttered  a 
single  compliment  to  him." 

*  'It  was  hardly  necessary  to  utter  it ;  but  if  you 
had  danced  with  him  only  half  as  often,  it  would 
have  flattered  his  vanity  less." 

"How  could  I  help  it,  when  he  asked  me  ?  There 
were  more  gentlemen  than  ladies  present,  and  I 
did  not  like  to  break  up  the  sets,"  protested 
Nellie. 

"Of  course  not;  but  being  the  lion  of  the  occa 
sion,  don't  you  think  he  might  have  divided  him 
self  up  a  little  more  equitably?" 

"I  don't  know;  but  I  couldn't  choose  my  own 
partner,"  replied  Nellie,  her  cheeks  glowing. 

"You  like  Don  John  very  well?" 

"I  certainly  do,  father,"  replied  she,  honestly. 
"Don't  you?" 

"Perhaps  it  don't  make  so  much  difference 
whether  I  like  him  or  not." 

"You  have  praised  him  to  the  skies,  father. 
You  said  he  was  a  very  smart  boy ;  and  not  one  in 
a  hundred  young  fellows  takes  hold  of  business 
with  so  much  energy  and  good  judgment.  I  am 
sure,  if  you  had  not  said  so  much  in  his  favor,  I 
14 


210  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

shouldn't  have  thought  half  so  much  of  him," 
argued  Nellie. 

"I  don't  blame  you  for  thinking  well  of  him, 
my  child,"  interposed  her  father.  "I  only  hope 
you  are  not  becoming  too  much  interested  in  him. " 

"I  only  like  him  as  a  good-hearted,  noble  fel 
low,"  added  Nellie,  with  a  deeper  blush  than 
before,  for  she  could  not  help  understanding  just 
what  her  father  meant. 

"He  appears  to  be  a  very  good-hearted  fellow 
now ;  but  he  is  young,  and  has  not  yet  fully  devel 
oped  his  character.  He  may  yet  turn  out  to  be  a 
worthless  fellow,  dissolute  and  dishonest,"  contin 
ued  the  captain. 

"Don  John!"  exclaimed  Nellie,  utterly  unwill 
ing  to  accept  such  a  supposition. 

"Even  Don  John.  I  can  recall  more  than  one 
young  man,  who  promised  as  well  as  he  does,  that 
turned  out  very  badly ;  and  men  fully  developed 
in  character,  sustaining  the  highest  reputations  in 
the  community,  have  been  detected  in  the  grossest 
frauds.  I  trust  Don  John  will  realize  the  hopes 
of  his  friends;  but  we  must  not  be  too  positive." 

"I  can't  believe  that  Don  John  will  ever  become 
a  bad  man,"  protested  Nellie. 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  211 

"Wo  don't  know.  'Put  not  your  trust  in 
princes,'  in  our  day  and  nation,  might  read,  'Put 
not  your  trust  in  young  men.'  " 

''Why  do  you  say  all  this,  father?"  asked 
Nellie,  anxiously.  "Has  Don  John  done  anything 
wrong;  or  is  he  suspected  of  doing  anything 
wrong?" 

"He  is  at  least  suspected,"  replied  Captain 
Patter  dale. 

"Why,  father!" 

"You  need  not  be  in  haste  to  condemn  him,  or 
even  to  think  ill  of  him,  Nellie." 

"I  certainly  shall  not." 

"There  is  the  white  cross  of  Denmark,"  added 
the  captain,  holding  up  the  bank  bill  which  had 
told  him  such  a  terrible  story  about  the  boat- 
builder. 

"What  is  it,  father?  It  looks  like  a  bank  note." 

"It  is;  but  there  is  the  white  cross  of  Denmark 
on  it." 

"I  don't  understand  what  you  mean." 

"I  only  mean  that  these  white  slips  of  paper 
make  the  bill  look  like  the  flag  of  Denmark." 

Nellie  took  the  bill  and  examined  it. 

"It  has  been  torn  into  four  pieces  and  mended," 
said  she. 


212  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"That  is  precisely  how  it  happens  to  be  the 
white  cross  of  Denmark.  Do  you  think,  if  you 
had  ever  seen  that  bill  before,  you  would  recognize 
it  again,  if  it  fell  into  your  hands?"  added  the 
captain. 

"Certainly  I  should/' 

"Well,  it  has  been  in  my  hands  before.  Do 
you  remember  the  day  that  Michael  had  the  sun 
stroke  ?" 

"'Yes,  sir;  and  your  tin  box  disappeared  that 
day." 

"Precisely  so;  and  this  bill  was  in  that  tin  box. 
Jacob  Hasbrook,  of  Lincolnville,  paid  me  a  note. 
I  put  the  money  in  the  box,  intending  to  take  it 
over  to  the  bank  before  night,  and  deposit  it  the 
next  day.  I  looked  at  the  bill  when  I  counted  the 
money,  and  I  spoke  to  Hasbrook  about  it.  I 
called  it  the  white  cross  of  Denmark  then." 

"Where  did  you  get  it  now?"  inquired  Nellie, 
her  heart  in  her  throat  with  anxiety. 

"Mr.  Leach,  the  sail-maker,  paid  it  to  me  just 
before  you  came  into  the  library." 

"Mr.  Leach!"  exclaimed  she,  permitting  her 
self  to  be  cheered  by  a  ray  of  hope  that  her  father 
was  not  working  up  a  case  against  Donald  Ramsay. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  213 

"Yes;  you  remember  who  were  in  the  library 
on  the  day  I  lost  the  tin  box. ' ' 

"I  remember  very  well;  for  all  of  you  went  out 
and  carried  Michael  into  the  house.  Besides  we 
talked  about  the  box  ever  so  long.  You  asked  me 
who  had  been  in  the  library  while  you  were  up 
stairs ;  and  I  told  you  Mr.  Hasb^ook,  Laud  Caven 
dish,  and  Don  John." 

"Precisely  so;  I  remember  it  all  very  distinctly. 
Now,  one  of  the  bills  that  was  m  that  box  comes 
back  to  me." 

"But  it  was  paid  to  you  by  Mr.  Leach." 

"It  was;  but  he  had  it  from  Don  John  half  an 
hour  before  he  paid  it  to  me." 

"Why,  father!"  exclaimed  Nellie,  with  real 
anguish ;  for  even  a  suspicion  against  Donald  was 
a  shock  to  her.  "I  can  never  believe  it ! " 

"I  don't  wish  you  to  believe  anything  yet;  but 
you  may  as  well  be  prepared  for  anything  an  in 
vestigation  may  disclose." 

"That  Don  John  should  steal!"  ejaculated 
Nellie.  "Why,  we  all  considered  him  the  very 
soul  of  honor  1" 

"You  are  getting  along  faster  than  I  do  with 
your  conclusions,  child,"  added  Captain  Patter- 


214  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OE 

dale.  "A  suspicion  is  not  proof.  The  bill  came 
from  him,  beyond  a  doubt.  But  something  can 
be  said  in  his  favor,  besides  the  statement  that  his 
character  is  excellent.  Of  the  three  persons  who 
were  in  the  library  that  day,  two  of  them  had 
wagons  on  the  street.  It  does  not  seem  probable 
that  Don  John  walked  through  the  city  with  that 
tin  box  in  his  hand.  If  he  did,  some  one  must 
have  seen  it.  Of  course  he  would  not  have  carried 
it  openly,  while  it  could  easily  have  been  con 
cealed  in  the  wagon  of  Hasbrook  or  Laud  Caven 
dish." 

i 'Certainly;  if  Don  John  had  taken  it,  he  would 
not  have  dared  to  carry  it  through  the  streets," 
added  Nellie,  comforted  by  the  suggestion. 

"Again,  if  he  had  stolen  this  white  cross  of 
Denmark,  he  would  not  have  been  likely  to  pass 
it  off  here  in  Belfast,"  continued  the  captain;  "for 
he  is  sharp  enough  to  see  that  it  would  be  identi 
fied  as  soon  as  it  appeared.  Very  likely  Mr.  Leach 
told  him  he  intended  to  pay  me  some  money,  and 
he  surely  would  not  have  allowed  the  bill  to  come 
back  to  me." 

"I  know  he  didn't  do  it,"  cried  Nellie,  with 
enthusiasm. 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  215 

"You  arc  too  fast  again,  child.  It  is  possible 
that  he  did,  however  improbable  it  may  seem  now, 
for  rogues  often  make  very  silly  blunders.  Is 
Edward  in  the  house?" 

"I  think  so;  he  was  reading  the  Age  when  I 
came  in." 

"Tell  him  to  go  down  and  ask  Don  John  to 
come  up  and  see  me.  We  will  have  the  matter 
cleared  up  before  we  sleep.  But,  Nellie,  don't  tell 
Edward  what  I  want  to  see  Don  John  for.  Not  a 
word  about  that  to  any  one.  By  keeping  my  own 
counsel,  I  may  get  at  the  whole  truth;  whereas  the 
thief,  if  he  gets  wind  of  what  I  am  doing,  may 
cover  his  tracks  or  run  away." 

"I  will  be  very  discreet,  father, ' '  replied  Nellie, 
as  she  left  the  library. 

In  a  few  moments  she  returned. 
-   *  '.He  has  gone,  father ;  though  he  is  very  tired, ' ' 
said  she.  ' '. 

"I  suppose  he  is;  but  I  don't  want  to  believe 
that  Don  John  is  a  thief  even  over  one  night," 
replied  the  captain. 

"He  asked  me  what  you  wanted  of  Don  John; 
but  I  didn't  tell  him." 

The  father  and  daughter  discussed  the  painful 


216  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

suspicion  until  Donald  arrived,  and  entered  the 
library  with  Edward.  A  conversation  on  indif 
ferent  topics  was  continued  for  some  time,  and  the 
boat-builder  wondered  if  he  had  been  sent  for  to 
talk  about  the  launch  of  the  Maud,  which  was  now 
an  old  story. 

"How  is  the  wind,  Edward?"  asked  Captain 
Patterdale. 

'Sou'-sou'-west,  half  west,"  laughed  Edward, 
who  understood  precisely  what  his  father  meant 
by  his  question;  and  bidding  Donald  good  night, 
he  left  the  library,  without  the  formality  of  saying 
he  would  go  and  see  which  way  the  wind  was. 

"You  know  which  way  the  wind  is,  Nellie;  and 
so  you  need  not  leave,"  added  the  captain, as  she 
rose  from  her  seat  to  follow  the  example  of  her 
brother. 

"So  did  Ned,  for  he  told  you,"   she  answered. 

"And  you  heard  him,  and  know  also." 

When  Captain  Patterdale  had  private  business 
with  a  visitor,  and  he  wished  any  member  of  his 
own  family  to  retire,  he  always  asked  which  way 
the  wind  was. 

"Don  John,  you  had  a  great  success  in  the 
launch  of  the  Maud  to-day,"  said  the  nabob;  but 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  217 

as  the  same  thing  had  been  said  half  a  dozen  times 
before  since  the  boat-builder  entered  the  room,  it 
was  hardly  to  be  regarded  as  an  original  idea;  and 
Donald  was  satisfied  that  the  launch  was  not  the 
business  upon  which  he  had  been  sent  for. 

"Yes,  sir;  we  got  her  off  very  well,"  he  replied. 
"I  was  sorry  I  couldn't  launch  her  with  the  mast 
stepped,  so  as  to  dress  her  in  the  colors." 

"In  that  case,  you  would  have  needed  the  flags 
of  all  nations.  I  have  them,  and  will  lend  them 
to  you  any  time  when  you  wish  to  make  a  sensa 
tion." 

"Thank  you,  sir.': 

"I  have  here  the  white  cross  of  Denmark," 
added  the  captain,  holding  up  the  mended  bill. 

"A  fifty-dollar  white-cross,"  laughed  Donald. 
"I  have  seen  it  before." 

"This  bill?" 

"Yes,  sir;  I  paid  it  to  Mr.  Leach  for  the  Maud's 
sails  since  dark,"  answered  Donald,  so  squarely, 
that  the  nabob  could  not  help  looking  at  his  daugh 
ter  and  smiling. 

"He  said  you  paid  promptly,  which  is  a  solid 
virtue  in  a  business  man.  By  the  way,  Don  John, 
you  will  be  out  of  work  as  soon  as  the  Maud  is 
finished." 


218  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"I  hope  to  have  another  yacht  to  build  by  that 
time,  especially  if  the  Maud  does  well." 

"I  wanted  to  say  a  word  to  you  about  that,  and 
tell  you  some  good  news,  Don  John,' '  continued 
Captain  Patterdale,  as  calmly  as  though  he  had  no 
interest  whatever  in  the  mended  bill.  "I  had  a 
long  talk  with  Mr.  Norwood  this  afternoon.  He 
says  he  shall  give  you  the  job  if  the  Maud  sails  as 
well  as  the  Skylark  or  the  Sea  Foam.  He  don't 
insist  that  she  shall  beat  them." 

"But  I  expect  she  will  do  it;  if  she  don't  I 
shall  be  disappointed,"  added  Donald. 

"Don't  expect  too  much.  Don  John.     I  thought 
you  would  sleep  better  if  you  knew  just  how  Mr. 
Norwood  stood  on  this  question." 
. "I  shall,  sir;    and  I  am  very  much  obliged  to 
you." 

"Do  you  think  you  will  make  any  money  on  the 
building  of  the  Maud?"  asked  the  nabob. 

"Yes,  sir.  I  think  I  shall  do  pretty  well  with 
her." 

"You  seem  to  have  money  enough  to  pay  your 
bills  as  you  go  along.  Did  Mr.  Rodman  pay  you 
this  bill?"  inquired  the  captain,  as  he  held  up  the 
vhite  cross  again. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  219 

"No,  sir;  he  did  not.     I  have  had  that  bill  in 
the  house  for  some  time,"  replied  Donald. 

"Are  you  so  flush  as  that?" 

.    "Yes,    sir;    I   had    considerable    cash    in    the 
house." 

"Your  father  left  something,  I  suppose. ' ' 

"Yes,  sir;  but  he  never  had  that  bill  and  the 
other  two  I  paid  Mr.  Leach,"  replied  Donald; 
and  he  could  not  help  thinking  all  the  time  that 
they  were  a  part  of  the  sum  Laud  Cavendish  had 
paid  him  for  the  Juno,  under  promise  not  to  say 
where  he  got  it,  if  everything  was  all  right. 
.  Though  the.  boat-builder  was  a  square  young 
man,  he  could. not  help  being  somewhat  embar 
rassed,  for  his.  sense  of  honor  did  not  permit  him 
to  violate  the  confidence  of  any  one. 

"If  it  is  a  fair  question,  Don  John,  where  did 
you  get  this  bill?"  asked  the  captain. 
,  Donald  thought,  it  was  hardly  a  fair  question 
under  the  circumstances,  and  he  made  no  answer, 
for  he  was  thinking  how  he  could  get  along  with 
out  a  lie,  and  still  say  nothing  about  Laud's  con 
nection  with  the  bill,  for  that  would  expose  Cap 
tain  Shivernock. 

"You  don't  answer  me,  Don  John,"   added  the 
nabob,  mildly. 


220  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OK 

"I  don't  like  to  tell,"  replied  Donald. 

"Why  not?" 

"I  promised  not  to  do  so." 

"You  promised  not  to  tell  where  you  got  this 
money?" 

Poor  Nellie  was  almost  overwhelmed  by  these 
answers  on  the  part  of  Donald,  and  her  father  began 
to  have  some  painful  doubts. 

"I  did,  sir;  that  is,  I  promised  not  to  tell  if 
everything  about  the  money  was  all  right." 

4 'If  you  don't  tell  where  you  got  the  money, 
how  are  you  to  know  whether  everything  is  all 
right  or  not?"  demanded  Captain  Patterdale,  in 
sharper  tones  than  he  had  yet  used. 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  answered  the  boat- 
builder,  not  a  little  confused,  and  sadly  troubled 
by  the  anxious  expression  on  Miss  Nellie's  pretty 
face. 

Perhaps  her  father,  who  understood  human 
nature  exceedingly  well,  had  required  her  to 
remain  in  the  library  during  this  interview,  for  a 
purpose;  but  whether  he  did  or  not,  Donald  was 
really  more  concerned  about  her  good  opinion 
than  he  was  about  that  of  any  other  person  in  the 
world,  unless  it  was  his  mother.  He  was 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  221 

scions  that  he  was  not  making  a  good  appearance ; 
and  under  the  sad  gaze  of  those  pretty  eyes,  he 
was  determined  to  redeem  himself. 

"You  ought  not  to  make  such  promises,  Don 
John,"  said  the  captain;  and  this  time  he  spoke 
quite  sternly. 

"You  have  that  bill,  sir.  Is  there  anything 
wrong  about  it?"  asked  Donald. 

"Yes." 

"Then  my  promise  covers  nothing.  Laud  Cav 
endish  paid  me  that  bill,"  added  the  boat-builder. 

"Laud  Cavendish!  "   exclaimed  Nellie. 

Her  father  shook  his  head,  to  intimate  that  she 
was  to  say  nothing. 

"Laud  Cavendish  gave  you  this  bill?"  repeated 
the  captain. 

"Yes,  sir,  and  six  more  just  like  it;  only  the 
others  were  not  mended.  I  paid  Mr.  Leach  three 
of  them,  and  here  are  the  other  four, ' '  said  Donald, 
producing  his  wallet,  and  taking  from  it  the  four 
bills,  which  he  had  not  returned  to  their  hiding- 
place  in  the  bureau. 

Captain  Patterdale  examined  them,  and  com 
pared  them  with  the  two  in  his  possession.  They 
looked  like  the  bills  he  had  deposited  in  the  tin 


222  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

box,  when  Hasbrook  paid  him  the  thirteen  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  and  interest.  Twelve  of  the  bills 
which  made  up  this  sum  were  fifties,  nearly  new; 
the  balance  was  in  hundreds,  and  smaller  notes, 
older,  more  discolored,  and  worn. 

t  'Laud  Cavendish  paid  you  three  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  then?"  continued  the  nabob. 

"Yes,  sir;  just  that.  But  what  is  there  wrong 
about  it?"  asked  Donald,  trembling  with  emotion, 
when  he  realized  what  a  scrape  he  had  got  into. 

"Following  your  example,  Don  John,  I  shall 
for  the  present  decline  to  answer,"  replied  the 
captain.  "If  you  don't  know — " 

"I  don't!"  protested  Donald,  earnestly. 

"If  you  don't  know,  I  thank  God;  and  I  con 
gratulate  you  that  you  don't  know." 

"I  haven't  the  least  idea." 

"Of  course,  if  you  don't  wish  to  answer  any 
question  I  may  ask,  you  can  decline  to  answer,  as 
I  do,  Don  John." 

"I  am  entirely  willing  to  answer  any  and  every 
question  that  concerns  me." 

"As  you  please;  but  you  can't  be  called  upon 
to  say  anything  that  will  criminate  yourself ." 

"Criminate  myself,  sir!"  exclaimed  Donald, 
aghast.  "I  haven't  done  anything  wrong." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  223 

"I  don't  say  that  you  have,  Don  John;  more 
than  that,  I  don't  believe  you  have ;  but  if  you 
answer  any  question  of  mine,  you  must  do  it  of 
your  own  free  will  and  accord." 

"I  will,  sir." 

"For  what  did  Laud  Cavendish  pay  you  three 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars?" 

"For   the  Juno,"   replied  Donald,  promptly. 

"I  did  not  know  he  owned  the  Juno." 

"He  said  he  did  to-day;  at  least,  he  said  he  was 
going  to  change  her  name,"  added  Nellie. 

"The  fact  that  I  did  not  know  it  doesn't  prove 
that  it  was  not  so.  You  sold  the  Juno  to  Laud, 
did  you,  Don  John?" 

"I  did,  sir." 

"Did  you  own  the  Juno?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Did   you    buy    her   of  Captain  Shivernock?" 

"No,  sir;  I  did  not  buy  her;  he  made  me  a 
present  of  her." 

"A  present!" 

"Yes,  sir;  he  got  disgusted  with  her,  and  gave 
her  to  me.  I  could  not  afford  to  keep  her,  and 
sold  her  to  Laud  Cavendish." 

"Gave  her  to  you!  That's  very  strange." 


224  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"But  Captain  Shivernock  is  a  very  strange 
man." 

"None  will  dispute  that,"  replied  Captain  Pat- 
terdale,  with  a  smile  and  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders. 
"That  man  throws  away  his  property  with  utter 
recklessness;  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  he 
ended  his  life  in  the  almshouse.  I  will  not  ask 
any  explanation  of  the  conduct  of  Captain  Shiver- 
nock.  Laud  Cavendish  is  not  a  man  of  means. 
Did  he  tell  you,  Donald,  where  he  got  his  money 
to  buy  a  boat  worth  three  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars?" 

"He  did,  sir,  and  explained  the  matter  so  that 
I  was  satisfied ;  for  I  would  not  sell  him  the  Juiio 
till  he  convinced  me  that  there  was  no  hitch  about 
the  money." 

"Well,  where  did  he  get  it?" 

"I  don't  feel  at  liberty  to  tell,  sir;  for  he  told 
me  it  was  a  great  secret,  which  did  not  affect  him, 
but  another  person.  I  inquired  into  the  matter 
myself,  and  was  satisfied  it  was  all  right." 

"I  am  afraid  you  have  been  deceived,  Don 
John ;  but  I  am  convinced  you  have  done  no  wrong 
yourself — at  least,  not  intentionally.  Secrets  are 
dangerous ;  and  when  people  wish  you  to  conceal 


THE   YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  225 

anything,  you  may  generally  be  sure  there  is  some 
thing  wrong  somewhere,  though  it  may  look  all 
right  to  you.  I  have  no  more  questions  to  ask  to 
night,  Don  John;  but  I  may  wish  to  see  you  again 
in  regard  to  this  subject.  I  must  see  Mr.  Laud 
Cavendish  next." 

Donald  declared  that  he  was  ready  to  give  all 
the  information  in  his  power;  and  after  a  little 
chat  with  Nellie,  he  went  home,  with  more  on  his 
mind  than  had  troubled  him  before,  since  he  could 
remember. 


15 


22 G  THE   YACHT    CLUB,    OR 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MOONLIGHT    ON    THE    JUNO. 

DONALD  felt  that  he  was  in  hot  water,  in  spite 
of  the  assurance  of  Captain  Patterdale  that 
he  believed  him  innocent  of  all  wrong,  and  he  was 
sorry  that  he  had  made  any  bargains,  conditional 
or  otherwise,  with  Captain  Shivernock  or  Laud 
Cavendish.  The  nabob  would  not  tell  him  what 
was  wrong,  and  he  could  not  determine  whether 
Laud  or  some  other  person  had  stolen  the  money. 
He  went  into  the  house  on  his  return  from  the  ele 
gant  mansion.  His  mother  had  gone  to  watch  with 
a  sick  neighbor,  though  his  sister  Barbara  was 
sewing  in  the  front  room. 

Donald  was  troubled,  not  by  a  guilty  conscience, 
but  by  the  fear  that  he  had  innocently  done  wrong 
in  concealing  his  relations  with  Captain  Shivernock 
and  with  Laud  Cavendish.  Somehow  the  case 
looked  different  now  from  what  it  had  before. 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  227 

Laud  had  told  where  he  got  his  money,  and  given 
a  good  reason,  as  it  seemed  to  him  at  the  time,  for 
concealment;  but  why  the  strange  man  desired 
secrecy  he  was  utterly  unable  to  imagine.  •  He 
almost  wished  he  had  told  Captain  Patterdale  all 
about  his  meeting  with  Captain  Shivernock  on 
Long  Island,  and  asked  his  advice.  It  was  not 
too  late  to  do  so  now.  Donald  was  so  uneasy 
that  he  could  not  sit  in  the  house,  and  went  out 
doors.  He  walked  about  the  beach  for  a  time, 
and  then  sat  down  in  front  of  the  shop  to  think  the 
matter  over  again. 

Suddenly,  while  he  was  meditating  in  the  dark 
ness,  he  saw  the  trunk  lights  of  the  Maud  illumi 
nated,  as  though  there  was  a  fire  in  her  cabin. 
He  did  not  wait  to  study  the  cause,  but  jumping 
into  his  skiff,  he  pushed  off,  and  sculled  with  all 
his  might  towards  the  yacht.  He  was  mad  and 
desperate,  for  the  Maud  was  on  fire!  He  leaped  on 
board,  with  the  key  of  the  brass  padlock  which 
secured  the  cabin  door  in  his  hand ;  but  he  had 
scarcely  reached  the  deck  before  he  saw  a  man  on 
the  wharf  retreating  from  the  vicinity  of  the  yacht. 
Then  he  heard  the  flapping  of  a  sail  on  the  other 
side  of  the  pier ;  but  he  could  not  spend  an  instant 


228  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

in  ascertaining  who  the  person  was.  He  opened 
the  cabin  door,  and  discovered  on  the  floor  a  pile 
of  shavings  in  flames.  Fortunately  there  was  a 
bucket  in  the  standing-room,  with  which  he  dashed 
a  quantity  of  water  upon  the  fire,  and  quickly 
extinguished  it.  All  was  dark  again;  but  to  make 
sure,  Donald  threw  another  pail  of  water  on  the 
cabin  floor,  and  then  it  was  not  possible  for  the 
fire  to  ignite  again. 

Although  the  deck  had  been  swept  clean  before 
the  launch,  the  side  next  to  the  wharf  was  littered 
with  shavings,  and  a  basket  stood  there,  in  which 
they  had  been  brought  on  board,  for  it  was  still 
half  full.  Donald  found  that  one  of  the  trunk 
lights  had  been  left  unfastened,  in  the  hurry  and 
excitement  of  attending  the  festival  at  Mr.  Rod 
man's  house.  Through  the  aperture  the  incendi 
ary  had  stuffed  the  shavings,  and  dropped  a  card 
of  lighted  matches  upon  them,  for  he  saw  the  rem 
nants  of  it  when  he  threw  on  the  first  water.  Who 
had  done  this  outrageous  deed?  Donald  sprang 
upon  the  wharf  as  he  recalled  the  shadowy  form 
and  the  flapping  sail  he  had  seen.  Leaping  upon 
the  pier,  he  rushed  over  to  the  other  side,  where 
he  discovered  a  sail-boat  slowly  making  her  way, 
in  the  gentle  breeze,  out  of  the  dock. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  229 

Beyond  a  peradventiire,  the  boat  was  the  Juno. 
Her  peculiar  rig  enabled  him  readily  to  identify 
her.  Was  Laud  Cavendish  in  her,  and  was  he 
wicked  enough  to  commit  such  an  act  ?  Donald 
returned  to  the  Maud  to  assure  himself  that  there 
was  no  more  fire  in  her.  He  was  satisfied  that  the 
yacht  was  not  injured ,  for  he  had  extinguished  the 
fire  before  the  shavings  were  well  kindled.  He 
fastened  the  trunk  lights  securely,  locked  the  cabin 
door,  and  taking  possession  of  the  basket,  he 
embarked  in  his  skiff  again.  Sculling  out  beyond 
the  wharf,  he  looked  for  the  Juno.  The  wind  was 
so  light  she  made  but  little  headway,  and  was 
standing  off  shore  with  the  breeze  nearly  aft.  It 
was  Laud's  boat,  but  it  might  not  be  Laud  in  her. 
Why  should  the  wretch  attempt  to  burn  the  Maud  ? 

Then  the  scene  in  Mr.  Rodman's  garden,  when 
Laud  had  been  invited  to  leave,  came  to  his  mind, 
and  Donald  began  to  understand  the  matter. 
While  he  was  thinking  about  it,  the  moon  came 
out  from  behind  a  cloud  which  had  obscured  it, 
and  cast  its  soft  light  upon  the  quiet  bay,  silvering 
the  ripples  on  its  waters  with  a  flood  of  beauty. 

Donald  glanced  at  the  basket  in  the  skiff,  stil] 
half  filled  with  shavings.  It  was  Laud's  basket, 


230  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OK 

beyond  a  doubt,  for  he  had  often  seen  it  when  the 
owner  came  down  to  the  shore  to  embark  in  his 
boat.  The  initials  of  his  father's  name,  4»J.  C.," 
were  daubed  upon  the  outside  of  it,  for  there  is 
sometimes  as  much  confusion  in  regard  to  the 
ownership  of  baskets  as  of  umbrellas.  Donald 
was  full  of  excitement,  and  full  of  wrath;  and  as 
soon  as  he  got  the  idea  of  the  guilty  party  through 
his  head,  he  sculled  the  skill*  with  all  the  vigor  of 
a  strong  arm  towards  the  Juno,  easily  overhauling 
her  in  a  few  moments.  He  was  so  excited  that  he 
dashed  his  skiff  bang  into  the  Juno,  to  the  serious 
detriment  of  the  white  paint  which  covered  her 
side. 

44 What  are  you  about,  Don  John?'*  roared  Laud 
Cavendish,  who  had  seen  the  approaching  skiff, 
but  had  not  chosen  to  hail  her. 

"What  are  you  about?"  demanded  Donald, 
answering  the  question  with  another,  Yankee  fash 
ion,  as  he  jammed  his  boat-hook  into  the  side  of 
the  Juno,  and  drew  the  skiff  up  to  the  yacht,  from 
which  it  had  receded. 

Taking  the  painter,  he  jumped  on  the  forward 
deck  of  the  Juno,  with  the  boat-hook  still  in  his 
hand. 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  231 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  smashing  into  me  in 
that  kind  of  style,  and  jabbing  your  boat-hook  into 
the  side  of  my  boat?"  cried  Laud,  as  fiercely  as 
he  could  pitch  his  tones,  though  there  seemed  to 
be  a  want  of  vim  to  them. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  setting  the  Maud 
afire?"  demanded  Donald.  "That's  what  I  want 
to  know." 

"Who  set  her  afire?"  replied  Laud,  in  rather 
hollow  tones. 

"You  did,  you  miserable  spindle-shanks!" 

"I  didn't  set  her  afire,  Don  John,"  protested 
Laud. 

"Yes,  you  did!  I  can  prove  it,  and  I  will  prove 
it,  too." 

"You  are  excited,  Don  John.  You  don't 
know  what  you  are  talking  about." 

"I  think  I  do,  and  I'll  bet  you'll  understand  it, 
too,  if  there  is  any  law  left  in  the  State  of  Maine." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"I  mean  what  I  say,  and  say  what  I  mean." 

"I  haven't  been  near  the  Maud." 

"Yes,  you  have!  Didn't  I  see  you  sneaking 
across  the  wharf?  Didn't  I  see  your  mainsail  along 
side  the  pier?  You  can't  humbug  me.  I  know  a 


232  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

pint  of  soft  soup  from  a  pound  of  cheese,"  rattled 
Donald,  who  could  talk  very  fast  when  he  was  both 
excited  and  enraged;  and  Laud's  tongue  was  no 
match  for  his  member. 

* 'I  tell  you,  I  haven't   been  near  the  Maud." 

"Don't  tell  me!  I  saw  it  all;  I  have  two  eyes 
that  I  wouldn't  sell  for  two  cents  apiece;  and  I'll 
put  you  over  the  road  at  a  two-forty  gait." 

Laud  saw  that  it  was  no  use  to  argue  the  point, 
and  he  held  his  peace,  till  the  boat-builder  had 
exhausted  his  rhetoric,  and  his  stock  of  expletives. 

"What  did  you  do  it  for,  Laud?"  asked  he,  at 
last,  in  a  comparatively  quiet  tone. 

"I  have  told  you  a  dozen  times  I  didn't  do  it," 
replied  the  accused.  "You  talk  so  fast  I  can't 
get  a  word  in  edgeways." 

"It's  no  use  for  you  to  deny  it,"  added  Don 
John. 

"Do  you  think  I'd  burn  your  yacht?" 

"Yes,  I  do;  and  I  know  you  tried  to  do  it.  If 
I  hadn't  been  over  by  the  shop,  you  would  have 
done  it." 

"I  didn't  do  it,  I  repeat.  Do  you  think  I  would 
lie  about  it  ?  Do  you  think  I  have  no  sense  of  honor 
about  me ! " 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  233 

"Confound  your  honor!"  sneered  Donald. 

« 'Don't  insult  me.  When  you  assail  my  honor, 
you  touch  me  in  a  tender  place." 

4 'In  a  soft  place,  and  that's  in  your  head." 

"Be  careful,  Don  John.  I  advise  you  not  to 
wake  a  sleeping  lion." 

"A  sleeping  jackass! " 

"I  claim  to  be  a  gentleman,  and  my  honor  is 
my  capital  stock  in  life." 

"You  have  a  very  small  capital  to  work  on, 
then." 

"I  warn  you  to  be  cautious,  Don  John.  My 
honor  is  all  I  have  to  rest  upon  in  this  world." 

"It's  a  broken  reed.  I  wouldn't  give  a  cent's 
worth  of  molasses  candy  for  the  honor  of  a  fellow 
who  would  destroy  the  property  of  another, 
because  he  got  mad  with  him." 

In  spite  of  his  repeated  warnings,  Laud  Caven 
dish  was  very  forbearing,  though  Donald  kept  the 
boat-hook  where  it  would  be  serviceable  in  an 
emergency. 

"No,  Don  John,  I  did  not  set  the  Maud  afire. 
Though  you  went  back  on  me  this  afternoon, 
and  served  me  a  mean  and  shabby  trick,  I  wouldn't 
do  such  a  thing  as  burn  your  property." 


234  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

4 'Who  went  back  on  you?"   demanded  Donald. 

1  'You  did ;  when  you  could  have  saved  me  from 
being  driven  out  of  the  garden,  you  took  the 
trouble  to  say,  you  did  not  invite  me,"  replied 
Laud,  reproachfully. 

"I  didn't  invite  you;  and  I  had  no  right  to 
invite  you." 

"No  matter  for  that;  if  you  had  just  said  that 
your  friend,  Mr.  Cavendish,  had  come  in  with  you 
it  would  have  been  all  right. ' ' 

"My  friend,  Mr.  Cavendish!  "  repeated  Donald, 
sarcastically.  "I  didn't  know  I  had  any  such 
friend." 

"I  didn't  expect  that  of  you,  after  what  I  had 
done  for  you,  Don  John." 

"Spill  her  on  that  tack !  You  never  did  anything 
for  me." 

"I  took  that  boat  off  your  hands,  and  I  suppose 
you  got  a  commission  for  selling  her.  Wasn't 
that  doing  something  for  you?" 

« 'No ! ' '   protested  Donald. 

"I  have  always  used  you  well,  and  done  more 
for  you  than  you  know  of.  You  wouldn't  have 
got  the  job  to  build  the  Maud  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
me.  I  spoke  a  good  word  for  you  to  Mr.  Hod 
man,"  whined  Laud. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  235 

"You!"  exclaimed  Donald,  disgusted  with  this 
ridiculous  pretension.  "If  you  said  anything  to 
Mr.  Kodman  about  it,  I  wonder  he  didn't  give  the 
job  to  somebody  else." 

"You  think  I  have  no  influence,  but  you  are 
mistaken ;  and  if  you  insist  on  quarrelling  with 
me,  you  will  find  out,  when  it  is  too  late,  what 
folks  think  of  me." 

"They  think  you  are  a  ninny;  and  when  they 
know  what  you  did  to-night,  they  will  believe  you 
are  a  knave,"  replied  Donald.  "You  didn't 
cover  your  tracks  so  that  I  couldn't  find  them; 
and  I  can  prove  all  I  say.  I  didn't  think  you 
were  such  a  rascal  before." 

"You  won't  make  anything  out  of  that  sort  of 
talk  with  me,  Don  John,"  said  Laud,  mildly. 
"You  provoke  me  to  throw  you  overboard,  but 
I  don't  want  to  hurt  you." 

"I'll  risk  your  throwing  me  overboard.  I  can 
take  care  of  myself." 

"I  said  I  didn't  want  to  hurt  you,  and  I  don't. 
I  didn't  set  your  boat  afire;  I  wouldn't  do  such  a 
thing." 

"You  can  tell  that  to  Squire  Peters  to-morrow." 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  will  prosecute 
me,  Don  John?" 


.X     , 
236  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

"Yes;  I  do  mean  it." 

"I  came  down  from  the  harbor,  and  tacked 
between  those  two  wharves,"  explained  Laud. 
"I  was  standing  off  on  this  tack  when  you  bunted 
your  skiff  into  me.  That's  all  I  know  about  it." 

"But  I  saw  you  on  the  wharf.  No  matter;  we 
won't  argue  the  case  here,"  said  Donald,  as  he 
made  a  movement  to  go  into  his  skiff. 

"Hold  on,  Don  John.  I  want  to  talk  with  you 
a  little." 

"What  about?" 

"Two  or  three  things.  I  am  going  off  on  a  long 
cruise  in  a  day  or  two.  I  think  I  shall  go  as  far 
as  Portland,  and  try  to  get  a  situation  in  a  store 
there." 

"I  don't  believe  you  will  have  a  chance  to  go 
to  Portland,  or  anywhere  else,  unless  it's  Thom- 
aston,  where  the  state  prison  is  located." 

"I  didn't  think  you  would  be  so  rough  on  me, 
Don  John.  I  didn't  set  your  boat  afire;  but  I  can 
see  that  it  may  go  hard  with  me,  because  I  hap 
pened  to  be  near  the  wharf  at  the  time." 

"You  will  find  that  isn't  the  worst  of  it,"  added 
Donald. 

"What  is  the  worst  of  it?" 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER. 

"Never  mind;  I'll  tell  Squire  Peters  to-mor 
row,  when  we  come  together." 

"Don't  go  to  law  about  it,  Don  John ;  for  though 
I  didn't  do  it,  I  don't  want  to  be  hauled  up  for  it. 
Even  a  suspicion  is  sometimes  damaging  to  the 
honor  of  a  gentleman. ' ' 

"You  had  better  come  down  from  that  high 
horse,  and  own  up  that  you  set  the  Maud  afire." 

"Will  you  agree  not  to  prosecute,  if  I  do?" 
asked  Laud. 

Donald,  after  his  anger  subsided,  thought  more 
about  the  "white  cross  of  Denmark"  than  he  did 
about  the  fire;  for  the  latter  had  done  him  no 
damage,  while  the  former  might  injure  his  character 
which  he  valued  more  than  his  property. 

"I  will  agree  not  to  prosecute,  if  you  will  answer 
all  my  questions,"  he  replied;  but  I  confess  that 
it  was  an  error  on  the  part  of  the  young  man. 

Donald  fastened  the  painter  of  his  skiff  at  the 
stern,  and  took  a  seat  in  the  standing-room  of  the 
Juno. 

"I  will  tell  you  all  I  know,  if  you  will  keep  me 
out  of  the  courts,"  added  Laud,  promptly. 

"Why  did  you  set  the  Maud  afire?" 

"Because  I  was  mad,  and  meant  to  get  even 


238  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

with  you  for  what  you  did  at  Rodman's  this  after 
noon.  You  might  do  me  a  great  service,  Don 
John,  if  you  would.  I  like  Nellie  Patterdale ;  I 
mean,  I'm  in  love  with  her.  I  don't  believe  I  can 
live  without  her." 

* 'I'll  bet  you'll  have  to,"  interposed  Donald, 
indignantly. 

"You  don't  know  what  it  is  to  love,  Don  John." 

"I  don't  want  to  know  yet  awhile:  and  I  think 
you  had  better  live  on  a  different  sort  of  grub. 
What  a  stupid  idea,  for  a  fellow  like  you  to  think 
of  such  a  girl  as  Nellie  Patterdale!" 

"Is  it  any  worse  for  me  to  think  of  her,  than  it 
is  for  you  to  do  so?"  asked  Laud. 

"I  never  thought  of  her  in  any  such  way  as  that. 
We  went  to  school  together,  and  have  always  been 
good  friends;  that's  all." 

"That's  enough,"  sighed  Laud.  "I  actually 
suffer  for  her  sake.  If  the  quest  were  hopeless," 
Laud  read  novels — "I  think  I  should  drown  my 
self." 

"You  had  better  do  it  right  off,  then,"  added 
Donald. 

"You  can  pity  me,  Don  John,  for  I  am  miser 
able.  Day  and  night  I  think  only  of  her.  My 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  23(J 

feelings  have  made  me  almost  crazy,  and  I  hardly 
knew  what  I  was  about  when  I  applied  the  incen 
diary  torch  to  the  Maud." 

"I  thought  it  was  a  card  of  friction  matches." 

"The  world  will  laugh  and  jeer  at  me  for  loving 
one  above  my  station;  but  love  makes  us  equals." 

"Perhaps  it  does  when  the  love  is  on  both 
sides,"  added  the  practical  boat-builder. 

"But  I  think  I  am  fitted  to  adorn  a  higher  sta 
tion  than  that  in  which  I  was  born." 

"If  so,  you  will  rise  like  a  stick  of  timber  forced 
under  the  water ;  but  it  strikes  me  that  you  have 
begun  in  the  wrong  way  to  figure  for  a  rise." 

"But  I  wish  to  rise  only  for  Nellie's  sake.  You 
can  help  me,  Don  John;  you  can  take  me  into  her 
presence,  where  I  can  have  the  opportunity  to  win 
her  affection." 

"I  guess  not,  Laud.  Shall  I  tell  you  what  she 
said  to  me  this  afternoon?" 

"Tell me  all." 

"She  said  you  were  an  impudent  puppy,  and 
she  was  sorry  I  invited  you." 

"Did  she  say  that?"  asked  Laud,  looking  up  to 
the  coid,  pale  moon. 

"She  did;  and  I  was  obliged  to  tell  her  that  I 
didn't  invite  you." 


240  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

"Perhaps  I  have  been  a  fool,"  mused  the  lover. 

"There's  no  doubt  of  it.  Nellie  Patterdale  dis 
likes,  and  even  despises  you.  I  have  heard  her 
say  as  much,  in  so  many  words.  That  ought  to 
comfort  you,  and  convince  you  that  it  is  no  use  to 
fish  any  longer  in  those  waters." 

"Possibly  you  are  right;  but  it  is  only  because 
she  does  not  know  me.  If  she  only  knew  me 
better—" 

"She  would  dislike  and  despise  you  still  more," 
said  Donald,  sharply.  "If  she  only  knew  that 
you  set  the  Maud  afire,  she  would  love  you  as  a 
homeless  dog  likes  the  brickbats  that  are  thrown 
at  him." 

"You  will  not  tell  her  that,  Don  John?" 

"I  will  not  tell  her,  or  any  one  else,  if  you 
behave  yourself.  Now  I  want  to  ask  some  more 
questions." 

"Go  on,  Don  John." 

"Where  did  you  get  the  money  you  paid  for  the 
Juno?"  demanded  Donald,  with  energy. 

"Where  did  I  get  it?"  repeated  Laud,  evidently 
startled  by  the  question,  so  vigorously  put.  "I 
told  you  where  I  got  it." 

1  Tell  me  again." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  241 

* 'Captain  Shivernock  gave  it  to  me." 

"What  for?" 

"I  can't  tell  you  that." 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  it  is  a  matter  between  the  captain  and 
me." 

"I  don't  care  if  it  is.  You  said  you  would 
answer  all  my  questions,  if  I  would  not  prose 
cute." 

"Questions  about  the  Maud,"  explained  Laud. 
*  'I  have  told  you  the  secret  of  my  love — ' 

"Hang  the  secret  of  your  love!"  exclaimed 
Donald,  disgusted  with  that  topic.  "I  meant  all 
questions."  . 

"But  I  cannot  betray  the  secrets  of  Captain 
Shivernock.  My  honor — " 

"Stick  your  honor  up  chimney!"  interrupted 
Donald.  "If  you  go  back  on  the  agreement,  I 
shall  take  the  fire  before  Squire  Peters.  The 
question  I  asked  was,  why  Captain  Shivernock 
gave  you  four  or  five  hundred  dollars?" 

"I  wish  I  could  answer   you,  Don  John;  but  I 
do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  do  so  just  now.     I  will 
sec  the  captain,  and  perhaps  I  may  honorably  give 
you  the  information  you  seek." 
16 


242  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OK 

"You  needn't  mince  the  matter  with  me.  1 
know  all  about  it  now;  but  I  want  it  from  you." 

"All  about  what?"  asked  Laud. 

"You  needn't  look  green  about  it.  Do  you 
remember  the  Saturday  when  I  told  you  the  Juno 
was  for  sale?" 

"I  do,  very  distinctly,"  answered  Laud.  "You 
were  in  the  Juno  at  the  time." 

"I  was;  we  parted  company,  and  you  stood  over 
towards  the  Northport  shore." 

"Just  so." 

"Over  there  you  met  Captain  Shivernock." 

"I  didn't  say  I  did." 

"But  I  say  you  did,"  persisted  Donald.  "For 
some  reason  best  known  to  himself,  the  captain 
did  not  want  any  one  to  know  he  was  on  Long 
Island  that  night." 

Laud  listened  with  intense  interest. 

"Do  you  know  what  his  reason  was,  Don 
John?" 

"No,  I  don't.  You  saw  his  boat,  and  over 
hauled  him  near  the  shore." 

"Well?" 

"You  overhauled  him  near  the  shore,  and  he 
gave  you  a  pile  of  money  not  to  say  that  you  had 
seen  him. ' ' 


THE   YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  243 

"It  is  you  who  says  all  this,  and  not  I,"  adde<J 
Laud,  with  more  spirit  than  he  had  before  exhib> 
ited.  "My  honor  is  not  touched." 

"I  wish  you  wouldn't  say  anything  more  about 
your  honor.  It  is  like  a  mustard  seed  in  a  hay 
mow,  and  I  can't  see  it,"  snapped  Donald. 

"You  can  see  that  I  came  honorably  by  the 
money." 

"Honestly  by  it;  I  am  satisfied  on  that  point," 
replied  Donald.  "If  I  had  not  been,  I  wouldn't 
have  sold  you  the  boat.  You  see  I  knew  some 
thing  of  Captain  Shivernock's  movements  about 
that  time.  If  I  hadn't,  I  wouldn't  have  believed 
that  he  gave  it  to  you." 

"Then  you  must  have  seen  the  captain  at  the 
same  time." 

"I  didn't  say  I  saw  him,"  laughed  Donald. 
"But  the  wind  is  breezing  up,  and  we  are  half 
way  over  to  Brigadier  Island.  Come  about, 
Laud." 

The  skipper  acceded  to  the  request,  and  headed 
the  Juno  for  Belfast. 


244  THE   YACHT  CLUB,    OK 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
CAPTAIN  SHIVERNOCK'S  JOKE. 

DONALD  considered  himself  shrewd,  sharp 9 
and  smart,  because  he  had  induced  Laud 
virtually  to  own  that  Captain  Shivernock  had 
given  him  the  money  to  purchase  his  silence ,  but 
Donald  was  not  half  so  shrewd,  sharp,  and  smart 
as  he  thought  he  was. 

"Mr.  Cavendish,  it's  no  use  for  us  to  mince 
this  matter,"  he  continued,  determined  further  to 
draw  out  his  companion,  and  feeling  happy  now, 
he  was  very  respectful  to  him. 

"Perhaps  not,  Don  John." 

"It  can  do  no  harm  for  you  and  me  to  talk  over 
this  matter.  You  saw  Captain  Shivernock  on  that 
Saturday  morning — didn't  you?" 

"Of  course,  if  I  say  I  did,  you  will  not  let  on 
about  it — will  you?" 

"Not  if  I  can  help  it;  for  the  fact  is,  I  am  in 
the  same  boat  with  you." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  245 

"Then  you  saw  the  captain." 

"Of  course  I  did." 

"But  what  was  he  doing  down  there,  that  made 
him  so  particular  to  keep  shady  about  it?" 

"I  haven't  the  least  idea.  It  was  the  morning 
after  Hasbrook  was  pounded  to  a  jelly  in  his  own 
house;  but  I  am  satisfied  that  the  captain  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it." 

"I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  added  Laud. 

"I  am.  I  went  to  the  captain's  house  before 
he  returned  that  day,  and  both  Sykes  and  his  wife 
told  me  he  had  left  home  at  four  o'clock  that  morn 
ing,  and  this  was  after  the  pounding  was  done. 
Besides,  the  captain  was  over  on  Long  Island 
when  I  saw  him.  If  he  had  done  the  deed,  he 
would  have  got  home  before  daylight,  for  the  wind 
was  fresh  and  fair.  Instead  of  that,  he  was  over 
at  Turtle  Head  when  I  first  saw  him.  The  Juno 
got  aground  with  him  near  Seal  Harbor,  which 
made  him  so  mad  he  would  not  keep  her  any 
longer.  He  was  mad  because  she  wasn't  a  centre- 
boarder.  I  suppose  after  we  parted  he  went  over 
to  the  Lincolnville  or  Northport  Shore,  and  hid 
till  after  dark  in  Spruce  Harbor,  Saturday  Cove, 
or  some  such  place.  At  any  rate,  I  was  at  his 
house  in  the  evening,  when  he  came  home." 


246  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"The  old  fellow  had  been  up  to  some  trick,  you 
may  depend  upon  it,"  added  Laud,  sagely. 

"I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  his  desire  to 
keep  dark  was  only  a  whim,  for  he  is  the  strangest 
man  that  ever  walked  the  earth." 

* 'That's  so;  but  why  should  he  give  me  such  a 
pile  if  he  hadn't  been  up  to  something?" 

"And  me  another  pile,"  added  Donald.  "We 
can  talk  this  thing  over  between  ourselves,  but 
not  a  word  to  any  other  person." 

"Certainly;  I  understand.  I  am  paid  for  hold 
ing  my  tongue,  and  I  intend  to  do  so  honorably." 

"So  do  I,  until  I  learn  that  there  is  something 
wrong. ' ' 

"You  have  told  me  some  things  I  did  not  know 
before,  Don  John,"  suggested  Laud. 

"You  knew  that  the  captain  was  down  by  Long 
Island." 

"Yes,  but  I  didn't  know  he  was  at  Turtle  Head ; 
and  I  am  satisfied  now  that  he  is  the  man  that 
shook  up  Hasbrook  that  night,"  continued  Laud, 
in  meditative  mood. 

*  'Are  you  ?  Then  I  will  let  the  whole  thing  out, ' ' 
exclaimed  Donald. 

"No,  no!  don't  do  that!"  protested  Laud. 
"That  wouldn't  be  fair,  at  all." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  247 

"I  would  not  be  a  party  to  the  concealment  of 
such  an  outrage." 

"You  don't  understand  it.  Hasbrook  is  a  reg 
ular  swindler." 

"That  is  no  reason  why  he  should  be  pounded 
half  to  death  in  the  middle  of  the  night." 

"He  borrowed  a  thousand  dollars  of  Captain 
Shivernock  a  short  time  before  the  outrage.  The 
captain  told  him  he  would  lend  him  the  money  if 
Hasbrook  would  give  him  a  good  indorser  on  the 
paper.  After  the  captain  had  parted  with  the 
money,  he  ascertained  that  tiie  indorser  was  not 
worth  a  dollar.  Hasbrook  had  told  him  the  name 
was  that  of  a  rich  farmer,  and  of  course  the  captain 
was  mad.  He  tried  to  get  back  his  money,  for  he 
knew  Hasbrook  never  paid  anything  if  he  could 
help  it.  Here  is  the  motive  for  the  outrage," 
reasoned  Laud. 

"Why  didn't  he  prosecute  him  for  swindling? 
for  that's  what  it  was." 

"Captain  Shivernock  says  he  won't  trouble  any 
courts  to  fight  his  battles  for  him ;  he  can  fight 
them  himself. ' ' 

"It  was  wrong  to  pound  any  man  as  Hasbrook 
was.  Why,  he  wasn't  able  to  go  out  of  the  house 


248  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

for  a  month,"  added  Donald,  who  was  clearly 
opposed  to  Lynch  law. 

Donald  was  somewhat  staggered  in  his  belief  by 
the  evidence  of  his  companion,  but  he  determined 
to  inquire  further  into  the  matter,  and  even  hoped 
now  that  Has  brook  would  call  upon  him. 

"One  more  question,  Laud.  Do  you  know 
where  Captain  Shivernock  got  the  bills  he  paid 
you,  and  you  paid  me?"  asked  he. 

"Of  course  I  don't.  How  should  I  know  where 
the  captain  gets  his  money?"  replied  Laud,  in 
rather  shaky  tones. 

"True;  I  didn't  much  think  you  would  know." 

"What  odds  does  it  make  where  he  got  the 
bills?"  asked  Laud,  faintly. 

"It  makes  a  heap  of  odds." 

"I  don't  see  why." 

"I'll  tell  you  why.  I  paid  three  of  those  bills 
to  Mr.  Leach  to-night  for  the  Maud's  suit  of  sails. 
One  of  them  was  a  mended  bill." 

"Yes,  I  remember  that  one,  for  I  noticed  it 
after  the  captain  gave  me  the  money,"  added  Laud. 

"Mr.  Leach  paid  that  bill  to  Captain  Patter- 
dale." 

"To  Captain  Patterdale!"  exclaimed  Laud, 
Bpringing  to  his  feet. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  249 

"What  odds  docs  it  make  to  you  whom  ho  paid 
it  to?"  asked  Donald,  astonished  at  this  sudden 
demonstration. 

"None  at  all,"  replied  Laud,  recovering  his 
self-possession. 

"What  made  you  jump  so,  then?" 

"A  mosquito  bit  me,"  laughed  Laud.  But  it 
was  a  graveyard  laugh.  "Leach  paid  the  bill  to 
Captain  Patter  dale — you  say?" 

"Yes,  and  Captain  Patterdalc  says  there  is 
something  wrong  about  the  bill,"  continued  Don 
ald,  who  was  far  from  satisfied  with  the  explana 
tion  of  his  companion. 

"What  was  the  matter?  Wasn't  the  bill  good?" 
inquired  Laud. 

"Yes,  the  bill  was  good;  but  something  was 
wrong,  he  didn't  tell  me  what." 

"That  was  an  odd  way  to  leave  it.  Why  didn't 
he  tell  you  what  was  wrong?" 

"I  don't  know.  I  suppose  he  knows  what. he  is 
about,  but  I  don't." 

"I  should  like  to  know  what  was  wrong  about 
this  bill.  It  has  passed  through  my  hands,  and  it 
may  affect  my  honor  in  some  way,"  mused  Laud. 

"You  had  better  have  your  honor   insured,  for 


250  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

it  will  get  burned  up  one  of  these  days,"  added 
Donald,  as  he  rose  from  his  seat,  and  hauled  in  his 
skiff,  which  was  towing  astern. 

He  stepped  into  the  boat,  and  tossed  Laud's 
basket  to  him. 

"Here  is  your  basket,  Laud,"  added  he.  "It 
was  my  evidence  against  you;  and  next  time,  when 
you  want  to  burn  a  yacht,  don't  leave  it  on  her 
deck." 

"You  will  keep  shady — won't  you,  Don  John  ?" 
he  pleaded. 

"That  will  depend  upon  what  you  sa}'  and  do," 
answered  Donald,  as  he  shoved  off,  and  sculled  to 
the  wharf  where  the  Maud  lay,  to  assure  himself 
that  she  was  in  no  danger. 

He  was  not  quite  satisfied  to  trust  her  alone  all 
night,  and  he  decided  to  sleep  in  her  cabin.  He 
went  to  the  house,  and  told  Barbara  he  was  afraid 
some  accident  might  happen  to  the  yacht,  and  with 
the  lantern  and  some  bed-clothes,  he  returned  to 
her.  He  swept  up  the  half -burned  shavings,  and 
threw  them  overboard.  There  was  not  a  vestige 
of  the  fire  left,  and  he  swabbed  up  the  water  with 
a  sponge.  Making  his  bed  on  the  transom,  he  lay 
down  to  think  over  the  events  of  the  evening.  He 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  251 

went  to  sleep  after  a  while,  and  we  will  leave  him 
in  this  oblivious  condition  while  we  follow  Laud 
Cavendish,  who,  it  cannot  be  denied,  was  in  a 
most  unhappy  frame  of  mind.  He  ran  the  Juno 
up  to  her  moorings,  and  after  he  had  secured  her 
sail,  and  locked  up  the  cabin  door,  he  went  on 
shore.  Undoubtedly  he  had  done  an  immense 
amount  of  heavy  thinking  within  the  last  two 
hours,  and  as  he  was  not  overstocked  with  brains, 
it  wore  upon  him. 

It  was  nearly  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  but 
late  as  it  was,  Laud  walked  directly  to  the  house 
of  Captain  Shivernock.  There  was  a  light  in  the 
strange  man's  library,  or  office,  and  another  in  the 
dining-room,  where  the  housekeeper  usually  sat, 
which  indicated  that  the  family  had  not  retired. 
Laud  walked  up  to  the  side  door,  and  rang  the 
bell,  which  was  promptly  answered  by  Mrs.  Sykes. 

"Is  Captain  Shiver  nock  at  home?"  asked  the 
late  visitor. 

"He  is;  but  he  don't  see  anybody  so  late  as 
this,"  replied  the  housekeeper. 

"I  wish  to  speak  to  him  on  very  important  busi 
ness,  and  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  I  should 
see  him  to-night,"  persisted  Laud. 


252  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OR 

"I  will  tell  him." 

Mrs.  Sykes  did  tell  him,  and  the  strange  man 
swore  he  would  not  see  any  one,  not  even  his 
grandmother,  come  down  from  heaven.  She  re 
ported  this  answer  in  substance  to  Laud. 

"I  wish  to  see  him  on  a  matter  in  which  he  is 
deeply  concerned,"  said  the  troubled  visitor. 
* 'Tell  him,  if  you  please,  in  regard  to  the  Has- 
brook  affair." 

Perhaps  Mrs.  Sykes  knew  something  about  the 
Hasbrook  affair  herself,  for  she  promptly  con 
sented  to  make  this  second  application  for  the 
admission  of  the  stranger,  for  such  he  was  to  her. 

She  returned  in  a  few  moments  with  an  invita 
tion  to  enter,  and  so  it  appeared  that  there  was 
some  power  in  the  "Hasbrook  affair. J?  Laud  was 
conducted  to  the  library, — as  the  retired  shipmas 
ter  chose  to  call  the  apartment,  though  there  were 
not  a  dozen  books  in  it, — where  the  captain  sat  in 
a  large  rocking-chair,  with  his  feet  on  the  table. 

"Who  are  you?"  demanded  the  strange  man; 
and  we  are  obliged  to  modify  his  phraseology  in 
order  to  make  it  admissible  to  our  pages. 

"Mr.  Laud  Cavendish,  at  your  service,"  replied 
he,  politely. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  253 

"Mister  Laud  Cavendish  I"  repeated  the  cap 
tain,  with  a  palpable  sneer;  "you  are  the  swell 
that  used  to  drive  the  grocery  wagon." 

"I  was  formerly  employed  at  Miller's  store,  but 
I  am  not  there  now." 

"Well,  what  do  you  want  here?" 

"I  wish  to  see  you,  sir." 

"You  do  see  me — don't  you?"  growled  the 
eccentric.  "What's  your  business?" 

"On  the  morning  after  the  Hasbrook  outrage, 
Captain  Shivernock,  you  were  seen  at  Seal  Har 
bor,"  said  Laud. 

"Who  says  I  was?"  roared  the  captain,  spring 
ing  to  his  feet. 

"I  beg  your  pardon  sir;  but  I  say  so,"  answered 
Laud,  apparently  unmoved  by  the  violence  of  his 
auditor.  "You  were  in  the  boat  formerly  owned 
by  Mr.  Ramsay,  and  you  ran  over  towards  the 
Northport  shore." 

"Did  you  see  me?" 

"I  did,"  replied  Laud. 

"And  you  have  come  to  levy  black-mail  upon 
me,"  added  the  captain,  with  a  withering  stare  at 
his  visitor. 

"Nothing  of  the  sort,  sir.  I  claim  to  be  a  gen 
tleman.  ' ' 


254  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"O,  you  do!" 

Captain  Shivernock  laughed  heartily. 

"I  do,  sir.  I  am  not  capable  of  anything 
derogatory  to  the  character  of  a  gentleman." 

"Bugs  and  brickbats ! ' '  roared  the  strange  man, 
with  another  outburst  of  laughter.  "You  are  a 
gentleman!  That's  good  !  And  you  won't  do  any 
thing  derogatory  to  the  character  of  a  gentleman. 
That's  good,  too!" 

"I  trust  I  have  the  instincts  of  agentlermm," 
added  Laud,  smoothing  down  his  jet  mustache. 

"I  trust  you  have ;  but  what  do  you  want  of  me, 
if  you  have  the  instincts  of  a  gentleman,  and  don't 
bleed  men  with  money  when  you  think  you  have 
them  on  the  hip?" 

"If  you  will  honor  me  with  your  attention  a  few 
moments,  I  will  inform  you  what  I  want  of  you." 

"Good  again!"  chuckled  the  captain.  "I  will 
honor  you  with  my  attention.  You  have  got 
cheek  enough  to  fit  out  a  life  insurance  agency." 

"I  am  not  the  only  one  who  saw  you  that  Sat* 
urclay  morning,"  said  Laud. 

"Who  else  saw  me?" 

"Don  John." 

"How  do  you  know  he  did?" 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  255 

"He  told  me  so." 

"The  young  hypocrite!"  exclaimed  the  strange 
man,  with  an  oath.  "I  made  it  a  rule  years  ago 
never  to  trust  a  man  or  a  boy  who  has  much  to  do 
with  churches  and  Sunday  Schools.  The  little 
snivelling  puppy!  And  he  has  gone  back  on 
me." 

"It  is  only  necessary  for  me  to  state  facts," 
answered  Laud.  "You  can  form  your  own  con 
clusions,  without  any  help  from  me." 

"Perhaps  I  can,"  added  Captain  Shivernock, 
who  seemed  to  be  in  an  unusual  humor  on  this 
occasion,  for  the  pretentious  manners  of  his  visitor 

r 

appeared  to  amuse  rather  than  irritate  him. 

"Again,  sir,  Jacob  Hasbrook,  of  Liucolnville, 
believes  you  are  the  man  who  pounded  him  to  a 
jelly  that  night,"  continued  Laud. 

"Does  he?"  laughed  the  captain.  "Well,  that 
is  a  good  joke;  but  I  want  to  say  that  I  respect 
the  man  who  did  it,  whoever  he  is." 

"Self-respect  is  a  gentlemanly  quality.  The 
man  who  don't  respect  himself  will  not  be  re 
spected  by  others,"  said  Laud,  stroking  his  chin. 

"Eh?" 

Laud  confidently  repeated  the  proposition. 


256  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"You  respect  yourself,  and  of  course  you  respect 
the  man  that  pounded  Hasbrook,"  he  added. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  I  flogged  Hasbrook?" 
demanded  the  strange  man,  doubling  his  fist,  and 
shaking  it  savagely  in  Laud's  face. 

"It  isn't  for  me  to  say  that  you  did,  for  you 
know  better  than  I  do ;  but  you  will  pardon  me  if 
I  say  that  the  evidence  points  in  this  direction. 
Hasbrook  has  been  over  to  Belfast  several  times 
to  work  up  his  case.  The  last  time  I  saw  him 
he  was  looking  for  Don  John,  who,  I  am  afraid,  is 
rather  leaky." 

In  spite  of  his  bluff  manners,  Laud  saw  that  the 
captain  was  not  a  little  startled  by  the  information 
just  imparted. 

"The  miserable  little  psalm-singer,"  growled 
the  strange  man,  walking  the  room,  muttering  to 
himself.  "If  he  disobeys  my  orders,  I'll  thrash 
him  worse  than — Hasbrook  was  thrashed." 

"It  is  unpleasant  to  be  suspected  of  a  crime, 
and  revolting  to  the  instincts  of  a  gentleman," 
added  Laud. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  I  am  suspected  of  a 
crime,  you  long-eared  puppy?"  yelled  the  captain. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Captain  Shivernock,  but  it 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  257 

isn't  agreeable  to  a  gentleman  to  be  called  by  such 
opprobrious  names,"  said  Laud,  rising  from  his 
chair,  and  taking  his  round-top  hat  from  the  table. 
"I  am  willing  to  leave  you,  but  not  to  be  in 
sulted." 

Laud  looked  like  the  very  impersonation  of 
dignity  itself,  as  he  walked  towards  the  door. 

"Stop! "  yelled  the  captain. 

"I  do  not  know  that  any  one  butHasbrook  sus 
pects  you  of  a  crime,"  Laud  explained. 

"I'm  glad  he  does  suspect  me,"  added  the 
strange  man,  more  gently.  "Whoever  did  that 
job  served  him  just  right,  and  I  envy  the  man  that 
did  it." 

"Still,  it  is  unpleasant  to  be  suspected  of  a 
crime." 

"It  wasn't  a  crime." 

"People  call  it  so;  but  I  sympathize  with  you, 
for  like  you  I  am  suspected  of  a  crime,  of  which, 
like  yourself,  I  am  innocent." 

"Are  you,  indeed?  And  what  may  your  crime 
be,  Mr.  Cavendish?" 

"It  is  in  this  connection  that  I  wish  to  state  my 
particular  business  with  you. '  * 
17 


258  THE  YACHT   CLUB,  OB 

"Go  on  and  state  it,  and  don't  be  all  night  about 
it." 

"I  may  add  that  I  also  came  to  warn  you  against 
the  movements  of  Hasbrook.  I  will  begin  at  the 
beginning. ' ' 

"Begin,  then;  and  don't  go  round  Cape  Horn 
in  doing  it,"  snarled  the  captain. 

"I  will,  sir.     Captain  Patterdale — " 

"Another  miserable  psalm-singer.  Is  he  in  the 
scrape?" 

^>"He  is,  sir.  He  has  lost  a  tin  box,  which  con 
tained  nearly  fourteen  hundred  dollars  in  cash, 
besides  many  valuable  papers." 

"I'm  glad  of  it;  and  I  hope  he  never  will  find 
it,"  was  the  kindly  expression  of  the  eccentric 
nabob  for  the  Christian  nabob.  "Was  the  box 
lost  or  stolen?" 

"Stolen,  sir." 

"So  much  the  better.  I  hope  the  thief  will 
never  be  discovered." 

Laud  did  not  say  how  he  happpened  to  know 
that  the  tin  box  had  been  stolen,  for  Captain  Pat 
terdale,  the  deputy  sheriff,  and  Nellie  were  sup 
posed  to  be  the  only  persons  who  had  any  knowl 
edge  of  the  fact. 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  259 

"It  appears  that  in  this  tin  box  there  was  a  cer 
tain  fifty-dollar  bill,  which  had  been  torn  into  four 
parts,  and  mended  by  pasting  two  strips  of  paper 
upon  it,  one  extending  from  right  to  left,  and  the 
other  from  top  to  bottom,  on  the  back." 

"Eh?"  interposed  the  wicked  nabob.     "Wait 
a  minute." 

The  captain  opened  an  iron  safe  in  the  room, 
and  from  a  drawer  took  out  a  handful  of  bank 
bills.  From  these  he  selected  three,  and  tossed 
them  on  the  table. 

"Like  those?"  he  inquired,  with  interest. 

"Exactly  like  them,"  replied  Laud,  astonished 
to  find  that  each  was  the  counterpart  of  the  one  he 
had  paid  Donald  for  the  Juno,  and  had  the  "white 
cross  of  Denmark"  upon  it. 

"Do  you  know  how  those  bills  happened  to  be 
in  that  condition,  Mr.  Cavendish?"  chuckled  the 
captain. 

"Of  course  I  do  not,  sir." 

"I'll  tell  you,  my  gay  buffer.  I  have  got  a 
weak,  soft  place  somewhere  in  my  gizzard;  1 
don't  know  where ;  if  I  did,  I'd  cut  it  out.  About 
three  months  ago,  just  after  I  brought  from  Port 
land  one  hundred  of  these  new  fifty-dollar  bills, 


260  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

there  was  a  great  cry  here  for  money  for  some 
missionary  concern.  I  read  something  in  the 
newspaper,  at  this  time,  about  what  some  of  the 
missionaries  had  done  for  a  lot  of  sailors  who  had 
been  cast  away  on  the  South  Sea  Islands.  1 
thought  more  of  the  psalm-singers  than  ever 
before,  and  I  was  tempted  to  do  something  for 
them.  Well,  I  actually  wrote  to  some  parson  here 
who  was  howling  for  money,  and  stuck  four  of 
those  bills  between  the  leaves.  I  think  it  is  very 
likely  I  should  have  sent  them  to  the  parson,  if  I 
hadn't  been  called  out  of  the  room.  I  threw  the 
note,  with  the  bills  in  it,  on  the  table,  and  went 
out  to  see  a  pair  of  horses  a  jockey  had  driven  into 
the  yard  for  me  to  look  at.  When  I  came  back 
and  glanced  at  the  note,  I  thought  what  a  fool 
I  had  been,  to  think  of  giving  money  to  those 
canting  psalm-singers.  I  was  mad  with  myself 
for  my  folly,  and  I  tore  the  note  into  four  pieces 
before  I  thought  that  the  bills  were  in  it.  But 
Mrs.  Sykes  mended  them  as  you  see.  Go  on  with 
your  yarn,  my  buffer.' ' 

4 'That  bill  I  paid  to  Don  John  for  the  Juno, " 
continued  Laud.  "He  paid  it  to  Mr.  Leach,  the 
Bail-maker,  who  paid  it  to  Captain  Patterdale,  and 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  2(>1 

he  says  it  was  one  of  the  bills  in  the  tin  chest 
when  it  was  stolen.  Don  John  says  he  had  it  from 
me." 

"Precisely  so;  and  that  is  what  makes  it  un 
pleasant  to  be  suspected  of  a  crime,"  laughed  Cap 
tain  Shivernock.  "But  you  don't  state  where 
you  got  the  bill,  Mr.  Cavendish.  Perhaps  you 
don't  wish  to  tell." 

"I  shall  tell  the  whole  story  with  the  greatest 
pleasure,"  added  Laud.  "I  was  sailing  one  day 
down  by  Haddock  Ledge,  when  I  saw  a  man  tum 
ble  overboard  from  a  boat  moored  where  he  had 
been  fishing.  He  was  staving  drunk,  and  went 
forward,  as  I  thought,  to  get  up  his  anchor.  The 
boat  rolled  in  the  sea,  and  over  he  went.  I  got 
him  out.  The  cold  water  sobered  him  in  a  meas 
ure,  and  he  was  very  grateful  to  me.  He  went  to 
his  coat,  which  he  did  not  wear  when  he  fell,  and 
took  from  his  pocket  a  roll  of  bills.  He  counted 
off  ten  fifties,  and  gave  them  to  me.  Feeling  sure 
that  I  had  saved  his  life,  I  did  not  think  five  hun 
dred  dollars  was  any  too  much  to  pay  for  it,  and 
I  took  the  money.  I  don't  think  he  would  have 
given  me  so  much  if  he  hadn't  been  drunk.  I 
asked  him  who  he  was,  but  he  would  not  tell  me, 


262  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

saying  he  didn  't  want  his  friends  in  Boston  to 
know  he  had  been  over  the  bay,  and  in  the  bay; 
but  he  said  he  had  been  staying  in  Belfast  a  couple 
of  days." 

"Good  story!"  laughed  the  wicked  nabob. 

"Every  word  of  it  is  as  true  as  preaching,"  pro 
tested  Laud. 

"Just  about,"  added  the  captain,  who  hadn't 
much  confidence  in  preaching. 

"You  can  see,  Captain  Shivernock,  that  I  am  in 
an  awkward  position,"  added  Laud.  "I  have  no 
doubt  the  man  I  saved  was  the  one  who  stole  the 
tin  box.  He  paid  me  with  the  stolen  bills." 

"It  is  awkward,  as  you  say,"  chuckled  the 
strange  man.  "I  suppose  you  wouldn't  know 
the  fellow  you  saved  if  you  saw  him. ' ' 

"O,  yes,  I  think  I  should,"  exclaimed  Laud. 
"But  suppose,  when  Captain  Patterdale  comes  to 
me  to  inquire  where  I  got  the  marked  bill,  I 
should  tell  him  this  story.  He  wouldn't  believe 
a  word  of  it." 

"He  would  be  a  fool  if  he  did,"  exclaimed 
Captain  Shivernock,  with  a  coarse  grin.  "There 
fore,  my  gay  buffer,  don't  tell  it  to  him. " 


THE   rOUNQ  BOAT-BUILDER.  263 

"But  I  must  tell  him  where  I  got  the  bill," 
pleaded  Laud. 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!"  laughed  the  eccentric,  shaking 
his  sides  as  though  they  were  agitated  by  a  young 
earthquake.  "Tell  him  I  gave  you  the  bill!" 

The  captain  seemed  to  be  intensely  amused  at 
the  novel  idea;  and  Laud  did  not  object;  on  the 
contrary,  he  seemed  to  appreciate  the  joke.  If 
was  midnight  when  he  left  the  house,  and  went  to 
the  Juno  to  sleep  in  her  cabin.  If  he  had  gone 
home  earlier  in  the  evening,  he  might  have  seen 
Captain  Patterdale,  who  did  him  the  honor  to  make 
a  late  call  upon  him. 


264  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 


CHAPTER  XV. 

LAUD  CAVENDISH   TAKES    CAKE    OF   HIMSELF. 

DONALD  did  not  sleep  very  well  in  the  cabin 
of  the  Maud,  not  only  because  his  bed  was 
very  hard  and  uncomfortable,  but  because  he  was 
troubled;  and  before  morning  he  fully  realized  the 
truth  of  the  saying,  in  regard  to  certain  persons, 
that  "they  choose  darkness,  because  their  deeds 
are  evil."  He  wished  he  had  not  consented  to 
keep  the  secret  of  either  Captain  Shivernock  or 
Laud  Cavendish,  and  was  afraid  he  had  compro 
mised  hsmself  by  his  silence.  When  he  turned  out 
in  the  morning,  he  believed  he  had  hardly  slept  a 
wink  all  night,  though  ho  had  actually  slumbered 
over  six  hours;  but  a  person  who  lies  awake  in 
the  darkness,  especially  if  his  thoughts  are  troub 
lesome,  lengthens  minutes  into  hours.  But  Don 
ald  welcomed  the  morning  light  when  he  awoke, 
and  the  bright  sun  which  streamed  through  the 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  2G5 

trunk  ports.  He  went  to  the  shop,  and  for  two 
hours  before  his  men  arrived  worked  on  the  tender 
of  the  Maud. 

The  mast  of  the  yacht  was  stepped  during  the 
forenoon,  and  after  dinner  the  rigger  came  to  do  his 
part  of  the  work.  Samuel  Rodman  was  now  so 
much  interested  in  the  progress  of  the  labor  on  the 
new  yacht,  that  he  spent  nearly  all  his  time  on 
board  of  her.  The  top  mast,  gaff,  and  boom  were 
all  ready  to  go  into  their  places,  and  the  Maud 
looked  as  though  she  was  nearly  completed.  All 
the  members  of  the  Yacht  Club  were  impatient 
for  her  to  be  finished,  for  the  next  regatta  had 
been  postponed  a  week,  so  that  the  Maud  could 
take  part  in  the  affair ;  and  the  club  were  to  go  on 
a  cruise  for  ten  days,  after  the  race. 

There  was  no  little  excitement  in  the  club  in 
relation  to  the  Maud.  Donald  had  confidently 
asserted  his  belief,  weeks  before,  that  she  would 
outsail  the  Skylark,  not  as  a  mere  boast,  but  as  a 
matter  of  business.  His  father  had  made  an 
improvement  upon  the  model  of  the  Sea  Foam, 
which  he  was  reasonably  certain  would  give  hef 
the  advantage.  The  young  boat-builder  had  also 
remedied  a  slight  defect  in  the  arrangement  of  the 


266  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

centre-board  in  the  Maud,  had  added  a  little  to  the 
size  of  the  jib  and  mainsail,  and  he  hoped  these 
alterations  would  tell  in  favor  of  the  new  craft, 
while  they  would  not  take  anything  from  her  stiff 
ness  in  heavy  weather. 

"I  believe  the  old  folks  are  as  much  interested 
in  the  next  race  as  the  members  of  the  club,  Don 
John,"  said  Rodman,  one  day,  as  he  came  upon 
the  wharf. 

"I  am  glad  they  are,"  replied  Donald,  laughing. 
"It  will  make  business  good  for  Ramsay  &  Son." 

"Half  a  dozen  of  them  are  going  to  make  up  a 
first  prize  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  regatta ; 
so  that  the  winner  of  the  race  will  make  a  good 
thing  by  it,"  added  Rodman. 

"That  will  be  a  handsome  prize." 

"If  the  Maud  takes  it,  Don  John,  the  money 
shall  be  yours,  as  you  are  to  sail  her." 

"O,  no!"  exclaimed  Donald.  "I  don't  believe 
in  that.  The  prize  will  belong  to  the  boat. ' ' 

"If  you  win  the  race  in  the  Maud,  I  shall  be 
satisfied  with  the  glory,  without  any  of  the  spoils." 

"Well,  we  won't  quarrel  about  it  now,  for  she 
may  not  win  the  first  prize.*' 

"Well,  the  same  gentlemen  will  give  a  second 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  267 

prize  of  fifty  dollars,"  continued  Rodman.  "But 
don't  you  expect  to  get  the  first  prize,  Don  John  ?" 

"I  do;  but  to  expect  is  not  always  to  win,  you 
know." 

"You  have  always  talked  as  though  you  felt 
pretty  sure  of  coming  in  first,"  said  Rodman,  who 
did  not  like  to  see  any  abatement  of  confidence  on 
the  part  of  the  boat-builder. 

"It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  be  mis 
taken,  Sam.  If  the  Maud  loses  the  first  prize,  I 
may  as  well  shut  up  shop,  and  take  a  situation  in 
a  grocery  store,  for  my  business  would  be  ruined." 

"Not  quite  so  bad  as  that,  I  hope,"  added  Rod 
man. 

"Mr.  Norwood  is  waiting  to  see  how  she  sails, 
before  he  orders  a  yacht  for  Frank.  Can't  you 
invite  Frank  and  his  father  to  sail  with  us  in  the 
race?" 

"Certainly,  if  you  desire  it,  Don  John,"  replied 
Rodman.  "Mr.  Norwood  is  a  big  man,  and  he 
will  be  a  capital  live  weight  for  us,  if  it  happens 
to  blow  fresh." 

"I  hope  it  will  blow;  if  it  don't,  the  Christabel 
is  sure  of  the  first  prize.  I  want  just  such  a  day 
as  we  had  when  the  Sea  Foam  cleaned  out  the 
Skylark." 


268  THE  YACHT  CLUB,  OB 

"That  was  a  little  too  much  of  a  good  thing. 
You  came  pretty  near  taking  the  mast  out  of  the 
Sea  Foam  that  day." 

"Not  at  all;  our  masts  don't  come  out  so  easily 
as  that,  though  I  think  the  mast  of  the  Sea  Foam 
would  snap  before  she  would  capsize." 

"I  like  that  in  a  boat;  it  is  a  good  thing  to 
have  a  craft  that  will  stay  right  side  up.  The 
fellows  have  got  another  idea,  Don  John." 

"Well,  ideas  are  good  things  to  have.  What 
is  it  now?"  asked  Donald. 

"They  are  going  to  build  a  club-house  over  on 
Turtle  Head." 

"On  Turtle  Head!  Why  don't  they  have  it 
down  on  Manhegan  ?' '  which  is  an  island  ten  miles 
from  the  coast  of  Maine. 

"It  will  be  only  a  shanty,  where  the  fellows 
can  have  a  good  time,  and  get  up  chowders.  They 
talk  of  hiring  a  hall  in  the  city,  and  having  meet 
ings  for  mutual  improvement  during  the  fall  and 
winter." 

"That  will  be  a  capital  idea." 

"We  can  have  a  library  of  books  on  nautical 
and  other  subjects,  take  the  newspapers  and  maga 
zines,  and  hang  up  pictures  of  yachts  and  other 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  269 

vessels  on  the  walls.  I  hope,  when  you  get  the 
Maud  done,  you  will  not  be  so  busy,  Don  John, 
for  you  don't  attend  many  of  our  club  meetings. " 

"I  hope  to  be  busier  than  ever.  You  see,  Sam, 
I  can't  afford  to  run  with  you  rich  fellows.  I  don't 
wear  kid  gloves,"  laughed  Donald. 

4 'No  matter  if  you  don't;  you  are  just  as  good 
a  fellow  as  any  of  them." 

"Everybody  uses  me  first  rate;  as  well  as 
though  my  father  had  been  a  nabob." 

"Well,  they  ought  to;  for  it  is  brains,  not 
money,  that  makes  the  man.  We  want  to  see 
more  of  you  in  the  club.  You  must  go  with  us 
on  our  long  cruise." 

"I  am  afraid  I  can't  spare  the  time.  Ten  days 
is  a  good  while ;  but  it  will  depend  upon  whether 
I  get  the  job  to  build  Mr.  Norwood's  yacht." 

Donald  would  gladly  have  spent  more  time  with 
the  club,  but  his  conscience  would  not  permit  him 
to  neglect  his  business.  He  felt  that  his  success 
depended  entirely  upon  his  own  industry  and  dili 
gence;  and  he  never  left  his  work,  except  when 
the  occasion  fully  justified  him  in  doing  so.  He 
attended  all  the  regattas  as  a  matter  of  business, 
as  well  as  of  pleasure ;  and  he  had  seen  the  Sea 


270  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

Foam  beaten  twice  by  the  Skylark  since  he  won 
the  memorable  race  in  the  former.  Edward  Pat- 
terdale  was  fully  satisfied,  now,  that  a  skilful 
boatman  was  as  necessary  as  a  fast  boat,  in  order 
to  win  the  honors  of  the  club,  and  he  wished 
Donald  to  "coach"  him,  until  he  obtained  the 
skill  to  compete  with  the  commodore.  Donald 
had  promised  to  do  it,  as  soon  as  he  had  time,  and 
the  owner  of  the  Sea  Foam  hoped  the  opportunity 
would  be  afforded  during  the  long  cruise. 

The  work  on  the  Maud  was  hurried  forward  as 
rapidly  as  was  consistent  with  thoroughness,  and 
in  a  few  days  she  was  ready  for  the  last  coats  of 
paint.  The  boat-builder  was  favored  with  good,  dry 
weather,  and  on  the  day  before  the  great  regatta, 
she  was  ready  to  receive  her  furniture  and  stores. 
The  paint  was  dry  and  hard ;  but  when  the  stove- 
dealer  came  with  the  little  galley  for  the  cook- 
room,  the  deck  was  carefully  covered  with  old 
cloths,  the  cushions  were  placed  on  the  transoms, 
the  oil-cloth  carpet  was  laid  on  the  floor  by  Ken 
nedy,  who  was  experienced  in  this  kind  of  work, 
and  Samuel  Kodman  was  as  busy  as  a  bee  arrang 
ing  the  crockery  ware  and  stores  which  he  had 
purchased.  It  only  remained  to  bend  on  the 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  271 

sails,  which  was  accomplished  early  in  the  after 
noon. 

With  Mr.  Rodman,  Samuel,  and  the  two  work 
men  on  board,  Donald  made  a  trial  trip  in  the  new 
craft.  The  party  went  down  the  bay  as  far  as 
Seal  Harbor ;  but  the  wind  was  rather  light  for 
her,  and  she  had  no  opportunity  to  show  her  sail 
ing  qualities,  though  with  her  gaff-topsail  and  the 
balloon-jib,  she  walked  by  everything  afloat  that 
day. 

"I  am  entirely  satisfied  with  her,  Don  John," 
said  Mr.  Rodman,  as  the  Maud  approached  the  city 
on  her  return.  "I  think  she  will  sail  well." 

"I  hope  she  will,  sir,"  replied  Donald.  "To 
morrow  will  prove  what  there  is  in  her." 

"She  is  well  built  and  handsomely  finished,  and 
whether  she  wins  the  race  or  not  I  shall  be  satis 
fied.  I  never  looked  upon  a  handsomer  yacht  in 
my  life.  You  have  done  your  work  admirably, 
Don  John."" 

"Mr.  Kennedy  did  the  joiner  work,"  said  Don 
ald,  willing  to  have  his  foreman,  as  he  called  him, 
share  the  honors  of  the  day. 

"He  did  it  well." 

"I  only  did  just  what  my  boss  ordered  me  to 


272  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

do,"  laughed  Kennedy;  "and  I  want  to  say,  that 
J  didn't  do  the  first  thing  towards  planning  any 
part  of  her.  Don  John  hasn't  often  asked  for  any 
advice  from  me.  He  is  entitled  to  all  the  credit." 

"I  have  no  doubt  you  did  all  you  could  to  make 
the  job  a  success,"  added  Mr.  Rodman. 

"I  did;  and  so  did  Walker,"  said  Kennedy, 
indicating  the  other  ship  carpenter.  "Both  of  us 
did  our  very  best,  never  idling  a  moment,  or  mak 
ing  a  bad  joint;  and  I  can  say,  there  isn't  a  better 
built  craft  in  the  United  States  than  this  yacht. 
Not  a  knot  or  a  speck  of  rot  has  been  put  into  her. 
Everything  has  been  done  upon  honor,  and  she 
will  be  stiff  enough  to  cross  the  Atlantic  in  mid 
winter.  I'd  rather  be  in  her  than  in  many  a  ship 
I've  worked  on." 

"I'm  glad  to  know  all  this,"  replied  Mr.  Rod 
man.  "Now,  Don  John,  if  the  firm  of  Ramsay  & 
Son  is  ready  to  deliver  the  Maud,  I  will  give  you 
a  check  for  the  balance  due  on  her." 

Donald  was  all  ready,  and  after  the  yacht  had 
been  moored  off  the  wharf  where  she  had  been 
completed,  the  business  was  transacted  in  the 
shop.  A  bill  of  sale  was  given,  and  the  boat- 
builder  received  a  check  for  four  hundred  dollars, 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  273 

which  he  carried  into  the  house  and  showed  to  his 
mother.  Of  course  the  good  lady  was  delighted 
with  the  success  of  her  son,  and  Barbara  laughed 
till  she  shook  her  curls  into  a  fearful  snarl. 

" You  have  done  well,  Donald,"  said  Mrs.  Ram 
say.  '  'I  thank  God  that  you  have  been  so  success 
ful." 

"I  have  paid  nearly  all  my  bills,  and  I  shall 
make  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  on  the 
job,"  added  the  young  boat-builder.  "I  think  I 
can  build  the  next  one  for  less  money." 

1  'You  may  not  get  another  one  to  build,  my 
sou." 

"That  depends  upon  the  race  to-morrow.  If  I 
beat  the  Skylark,  I'm  sure  of  one." 

"Don't  be  too  confident." 

"I  am  to  sail  the  Maud  to-morrow,  and  if  there 
is  any  speed  in  her,  as  I  think  there  is,  I  shall  get 
it  out  of  her.  To-morrow  will  be  a  big  day  for 
me;  but  if  I  lose  the  race,  the  firm  of  Ramsay  & 
Son  is  used  up." 

Donald  put  the  check  in  his  wallet,  and  went 

out   to  the    shop  again,  where  he  found  Samuel 

Rodman  looking  for  him.     The  owner  of  the  Maud 

was  so  delighted  with  the   craft,  that  he  could  not 

18 


274  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

keep  away  from  her,  and  he  wanted  to  go  on  board 
again. 

"Bob  Montague  is  going  to  give  you  a  hard  pull 
to.-morrow,  Don  John,"  said  Eodman,  as  they  got 
into  the  tender. 

"I hope  he  will  do  his  best;  and  the  harder  the 
pull,  the  better,"  replied  Donald. 

*  'If  we  only  beat  him, ' '  suggested  Rodman. 

'  'I  expect  to  beat  him ;  but  I  may  be  mistaken. ' ' 

"Bob  hauled  up  the  Skylark  on  the  beach  this 
afternoon,  and  rubbed  her  bottom  with  black 
lead." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  it." 

"Glad?   Why?" 

"It  proves  that  he  means  business." 

"Of  course  he  means  business." 

"'I  wonder  if  he  knows  I  am  to  build  a  yacht 
for  Mr.  Norwood,  in  case  I  win  this  race." 

"I  don't  believe  he  does.  I  never  heard  of  it 
till  you  told  me." 

"He  is  such  a  splendid  fellow,  that  I  was  afraid 
he  would  let  me  beat  him,  if  he  knew  I  was  to 
make  anything  by  it. " 

"I  think  it  very  likely  he  would." 

"But  I  want  to  beat  the  Skylark  fairly,  or  not 
at  all." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  275 

"There  comes  Laud  Cavendish,"  said  Rodman, 
as  the  Juno  came  up  the  bay,  and  bore  down  upon 
the  Maud.  "He  was  blackballed  in  the  club  the 
other  day,  and  he  don't  feel  good.  Let's  go  ashore 
again,  and  wait  till  he  sheers  off,  for  I  don't  want 
to  see  him.  He  will  be  sure  to  go  on  board  of  the 
yacht  if  we  are  there,  for  he  is  always  poking  his 
nose  in  where  he  is  not  wanted." 

Donald,  who  was  at  the  oars,  pulled  back  to  the 
shore.  The  Juno  ran  close  up  to  the  Maud, 
tacked,  and  stood  up  the  bay. 

"He  is  gone,"  said  Rodman.  "I  don't  want 
him  asking  me  why  he  was  blackballed.  He  is  an 
intolerable  spoony." 

"Don  John!"  called  some  one,  as  he  was  shov 
ing  off  the  tender. 

Donald  looked  up,  and  saw  Mr.  Beardsley,  the 
deputy  sheriff,  who  had  been  working  up  the  tin 
box  case  with  Captain  Patterdale. 

"I  want  to  see  you,"  added  the  officer. 

Donald  wondered  if  Mr.  Beardsley  wanted  to 
see  him  officially ;  but  he  was  thankful  that  he  waa 
able  to  look  even  a  deputy  sheriff  square  in  the  face. 

He  jumped  out  of  the  tender,  and  Rodman  went 
off  to  the  yacht  alone.  We  are  somewhat  better 


276  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

informed  than  the  young  boat-builder  in  regard  to 
the  visit  of  the  sheriff,  and  we  happen  to  know 
that  he  did  come  officially ;  and  in  order  to  explain 
why  it  was  so,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  to  the 
point  where  we  left  Mr.  Laud  Cavendish.  He 
slept  in  the  cabin  of  the  Juno  after  he  left  the 
house  of  Captain  Shivernock.  He  did  not  sleep 
any  better  than  Donald  Ramsay  that  night ;  and  the 
long  surges  rolled  in  by  the  paddle-wheels  of  the 
steamer  Richmond,  as  she  came  into  the  harbor 
early  the  next  morning,  awoke  him. 

The  first  thing  he  thought  of  was  his  visit  to  the 
house  of  the  strange  man ;  the  next  was  his  break 
fast,  and  he  decided  to  go  on  shore,  and  get  the 
meal  at  a  restaurant.  The  Juno  was  moored  near 
the  steamboat  wharf,  where  the  Portland  boat  made 
her  landings.  This  was  a  convenient  place  for 
him  to  disembark,  and  he  pulled  in  his  tender  to 
the  pier.  As  he  approached  the  landing  steps,  he 
saw  Captain  Shivernock  hastening  down  the  wharf 
with  a  valise  in  his  hand.  It  was  evident  that  he 
was  going  up  the  river,  perhaps  to  Bangor.  Laud 
did  not  like  the  idea  of  the  captain's  going  away 
just  at  that  time.  Donald  had  told  Captain  Patter- 
dale  that  the  mended  bill  came  from  him,  and  of 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  277 

course  the  owner  of  the  tin  box  would  immediately 
come  to  him  for  further  information. 

"Then,  if  I  tell  him  Captain  Shivernock  gave  it 
to  me,  he  will  want  to  see  him;  and  he  won't 
be  here  to  be  seen,"  reasoned  Laud.  "I  can't 
explain  why  the  captain  gave  me  the  money,  and 
in  his  absence  I  shall  be  in  a  bad  fix.  I  must 
take  care  of  myself." 

Laud  went  to  the  restaurant,  and  ate  his  break 
fast;  after  which  he  returned  to  the  Juno.  He 
took  care  of  himself  by  getting  under  way,  and 
standing  over  towards  Castine,  where  he  dined 
that  day.  Then  he  continued  his  voyage  down  the 
bay,  through  Edgemoggin  Reach  to  Mount  Desert, 
where  he  staid  several  days,  living  upon  "the  fat 
of  the  land"  and  the  fish  of  the  sea,  which  go  well 
together.  When  he  was  confident  that  Captain 
Shivernock  had  returned,  he  sailed  for  Belfast, 
and  arrived  after  a  two  days'  voyage.  The  strange 
man  had  not  come  back,  and  Laud  thought  it  very 
singular  that  he  had  not.  Then  he  began  to  won 
der  why  the  captain  had  laughed  so  unreasonably 
long  and  loud  when  he  told  him  to  say  that  he  had 
given  him  the  mended  bill.  Laud  could  not  see 
the  joke  at  the  time ;  but  now  he  concluded  that 


278  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

the  laugh  came  in  because  he  was  going  away  on  a 
long  journey,  and  would  not  be  in  town  to  answer 
any  questions  which  Captain  Patterdale  might  pro 
pose. 

Mr.  Cavendish  was  disturbed,  and  felt  that  he 
was  a  victim  of  a  practical  joke,  and  he  determined 
to  get  out  of  the  way  again.  Unfortunately  for 
him,  he  had  shown  himself  in  the  city,  and  before 
he  could  leave  he  was  interviewed  by  Captain 
Patterdale  and  Mr.  Beardsley.  The  white  cross 
of  Denmark  was  pleasantly  alluded  to  again  by 
the  former,  and  exhibited  to  Laud.  Did  he  know 
that  bill  ?  Had  he  ever  seen  it  before  ? 

He  did  not  know  it;  had  never  seen  it. 

It  was  no  use  to  say,  in  the  absence  of  that  gen 
tleman,  that  Captain  Shivernock  had  given  him 
the  bill.  It  would  be  equally  foolish  to  tell  the 
Haddock  Ledge  story  in  the  absence  of  the  gener 
ous  stranger,  who  had  declined  to  give  his  np,me, 
though  he  was  kind  enough  to  say  that  he  had 
spent  a  few  days  in  Belfast.  Since  neither  of 
these  fictions  was  available  in  the  present  emer 
gency,  Laud  "went  back"  on  Donald  Ramsay. 
He  did  not  love  the  boat-builder,  and  so  it  was  not 
a  sacrifice  of  personal  feeling  for  him  to  do  it.  On 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  279 

the  contrary,  he  would  rather  like  to  get  his 
" rival,"  as  he  chose  to  regard  him,  out  of  the 
way. 

"But  you  paid  him  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
0ome  two  months  ago,"  suggested  Captain  Patter- 
dale. 

"Not  a  red! "  protested  Laud.  "I  never  paid 
Wm  any  money  in  my  life." 

"You  bought  the  Juno  of  him." 

"No,  sir;  nor  of  any  one  else.  She  don't  be 
long  to  me." 

"But  you  are  using  her  all  the  time." 

"Captain  Shivernock  got  tired  of  her,  and  lets 
me  have  the  use  of  her  for  taking  care  of  her." 

"Didn't  you  say  you  owned  her,  and  that  you 
were  going  to  change  her  name  from  Juno  to  Nel 
lie?^'  demanded  the  captain,  sternly. 

"I  did;  but  that  was  all  gas,"  replied  Laud, 
with  a  sickly  grin. 

"If  you  would  lie  about  one  thing,  perhaps  you 
would  about  another,"  said  the  captain. 

"I  was  only  joking  when  I  said  I  owned  the 
Juno.  If  you  will  go  up  to  Captain  Shivernock's 
house,  he  will  tell  you  all  about  it." 

That  was  a  plain  way  to  solve  the  problem,  and 


280  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

they  went  to  the  strange  man's  house.  Laud 
knew  the  captain  was  not  at  home ;  but  his  perse 
cutors  gave  him  the  credit  of  suggesting  this  step. 
Sykes  and  his  wife  were  at  home.  They  did  not 
know  whether  or  not  Captain  Shivernock  had  given 
Laud  the  use  of  the  Juno,  but  presumed  he  had, 
for  the  young  man  was  in  the  house  with  him  half 
the  night,  about  ten  days  before.  Thus  far  every 
thing  looked  well  for  Laud ;  and  the  Sykeses  par 
tially  confirmed  his  statements. 

"Now,  Captain  Patterdale,  I  have  answered  all 
your  questions,  and  I  wish  you  would  answer 
mine.  What's  the  matter?"  said  Laud,  putting 
on  his  boldest  face. 

"Never  mind  what  the  matter  is." 

"Well,  I  know  as  well  as  you  do.  I  used  to 
think  Don  John  was  a  good  fellow,  and  liked  him 
first  rate.  I  didn't  think  he  would  be  mean 
enough  to  shove  his  own  guilt  upon  me,"  replied 
Laud. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  demanded  Cap 
tain  Patterdale. 

"Though  I  knew  about  it  all  the  time,  I  didn't 
mean  to  say  a  word." 

"About  what?" 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  281 

"About  your  tin  trunk.  We  didn't  keep  any 
such  in  our  store !  I  knew  what  you  meant  all  the 
time;  but  I  didn't  let  on  that  Don  John  had  done 
it." 

4 'Done  what?" 

"Stolen  it.  That  day  I  was  in  the  library  with 
Don  John  and  Hasbrook,  I  was  discharged  from 
Miller's,  because  I  wanted  to  go  away  to  stay  over 
Sunday.  I  had  a  boat  down  by  Ramsay's  shop, 
and  I  went  there  to  get  off.  Well,  captain,  I  saw 
Don  John  have  the  same  tin  trunk  I  saw  in  your 
library." 

"Are  you  telling  the  truth?" 

"Of  course  I  am.  I  wouldn't  go  back  on  Don 
John  if  he  hadn't  tried  to  lay  it  to  me.  If  you 
search  his  house  and  shop,  I'll  bet  you'll  find  the 
tin  trunk,  or  some  of  the  money  and  papers." 

Captain  Patterdale  was  intensely  grieved,  even 
to  believe  Laud's  statement  was  possibly  true; 
but  he  decided  to  have  the  boat-builder's  premises 
searched  before  he  proceeded  any  further  against 
Laud.  Mr.  Beardsley  was  to  do  this  unpleasant 
duty,  and  for  this  purpose  he  called  on  Donald  the 
night  before  the  great  race. 

The  deputy  sheriff  did  his  work  thoroughly,  in 


282  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

spite  of  the  confidence  of  Donald  and  the  distress 
of  his  mother  and  sister.  Perhaps  he  would  not 
have  discovered  the  four  fifty-dollar  bills  concealed 
in  the  bureau  if  Donald  had  not  assisted  him;  but 
he  had  no  help  in  finding  a  lot  of  notes  and  other 
papers  hidden  under  a  sill  in  the  shop.  The  boat- 
builder  protested  that  he  knew  nothing  about  these 
papers,  and  had  never  seen  them  before  in  his  life. 

Mrs.  Ramsay  and  Barbara  wept  as  though  their 
hearts  would  break ;  but  Donald  was  led  away  by 
the  sheriff. 

That  night  Captain  Shiver  nock  returned  by  the 
train  from  Portland. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  283 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SATURDAY   COVE. 

MR.  BEARDSLEY,  the  deputy  sheriff,  con 
ducted  Donald  to  the  elegant  mansion  of 
Captain  Patterdale.  Perhaps  no  one  who  saw  them 
walking  together  suspected  that  the  boat-builder 
was  charged  with  so  gross  a  crime  as  stealing  the 
tin  box  and  its  valuable  contents.  Some  persons 
do  not  like  to  walk  through  the  streets  with  sher 
iffs  and  policemen;  but  Donald  was  not  of  that 
sort,  for  in  spite  of  all  the  evidence  brought  against 
him,  he  obstinately  refused  to  believe  that  he  was 
guilty.  Even  the  fact  that  several  notes  and  other 
papers  had  been  found  in  the  shop  did  not  impair 
his  belief  in  his  own  innocence.  Captain  Patter- 
dale  was  in  his  library  nervously  awaiting  the 
return  of  the  officer,  when  they  arrived. 

"Don  John,  I  hope  you  will  come  out  of  this  all 
right,"  said  he,  as  they  entered. 


284  THE    YACHT    CLUB,    OR 

1  'I  have  no  doubt  I  shall,  sir,"  replied  Donald. 
"If  1  don't,  it  will  be  because  I  can't  prove  what 
is  the  truth." 

Mr.  Beardsley  reported  the  result  of  the  search, 
and  handed  the  captain  the  four  fifty-dollar  bills 
with  the  papers. 

"I  have  no  doubt  all  these  were  in  the  tin  box," 
said  the  nabob,  sadly.  "The  bills  are  like  those 
paid  me  by  Hasbrook,  and  these  notes  are  certainly 
mine.  I  don't  ask  you  to  commit  yourself,  Don 
John,  but—" 

"Commit  myself!"  exclaimed  Donald,  with  a 
look  of  contempt,  which,  in  this  connection,  was 
sublime.  "I  mean  to  speak  the  truth,  whether  I 
am  committed  or  not." 

"Perhaps  you  will  be  able  to  clear  this  thing 
up,"  added  Captain  Patterdale.  "I  wish  to  ask 
you  a  few  questions." 

"I  will  answer  them  truly.  The  only  wrong  I 
have  done  was  to  conceal  what  I  thought  there  was 
no  harm  in  concealing." 

"It  is  not  wise  to  do  things  in  the  dark." 

"You  will  excuse  me,  sir,  but  you  have  done 
the  same  thing.  If  I  had  known  that  your  tin  box 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  285 

was  stolen,  I  should  have  understood  several  things 
which  are  plain  to  me  now. " 

"What,  for  instance?" 

"If  I  had  known  it,  I  should  have  brought  these 
bills  to  you  as  soon  as  Laud  paid  them  to  me,  to 
see  if  they  belonged  to  you.  And  I  should  have 
known  why  Laud  was  digging  clams  on  Turtle 
Head." 

"Laud  says  he  paid  you  no  money." 

"He  paid  me  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
for  the  Juno — these  four  bills  and  the  three  I 
paid  Mr.  Leach." 

"He  persists  that  he  don't  own  the  Juno,  and 
says  that  Captain  Shivernock  lets  him  have  the 
use  of  her  for  taking  care  of  her,"  continued  the 
nabob. 

Donald's  face,  which  had  thus  far  been  clouded 
with  anxiety,  suddenly  lighted  up  with  a  cheerful 
smile,  as  he  produced  the  cover  of  an  old  tuck- 
diary,  which  contained  the  papers  of  Ramsay  & 
Son.  He  opened  it,  and  took  therefrom  the  bill  of 
sale  of  the  Juno,  in  the  well-known  writing  of 
Captain  Shivernock. 

"Does  that  prove  anything?"  he  asked,  as  he 
tossed  the  paper  on  the  desk,  within  reach  of  the 
inquisitor. 


286  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"It  proves  that  Captain  Shivcrnock  sold  the 
Juno  to  you,  and  consequently  he  has  not  owned 
her  since  the  date  of  this  bill,"  replied  the  nabob, 
as  he  read  the  paper. 

"Is  it  likely,  then,  that  Captain  Shivernock  lets 
Laud  have  the  use  of  her  for  taking  care  of  her?" 
demanded  Donald,  warmly. 

"Certainly  not." 

"Is  it  any  more  likely  that,  if  I  own  the  Juno, 
I  should  let  Laud  use  her  for  nothing,  for  he  says 
he  never  paid  me  a  dollar?" 

"I  don't  think  it  is." 

"Then  you  can  believe  as  much  as  you  please 
of  the  rest  of  Laud's  story,  which  Mr.  Beardsley 
related  to  me  as  we  walked  up,"  added  Donald. 

"He  says  he  saw  you  have  the  tin  box,  Don 
John." 

"And  I  saw  him  digging  clams  in  the  loam  on 
Turtle  Head." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that?" 

"I  think  he  buried  the  tin  box  there.  I  saw 
where  he  had  been  digging,  but  I  didn't  know  any 
tin  box  had  been  stolen  then,  and  thought  nothing 
of  it,"  answered  Donald. 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  tremendous  ring  at 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDEK.  287 

the  door  bell,  a  ring  that  evidently  "meant  busi 
ness."  Captain  Patterdale  opened  the  door  him 
self,  and  Captain  Shivernoek  stalked  into  the  room 
as  haughtily  as  though  he  owned  the  elegant  man 
sion.  He  had  been  to  Newport  and  Cape  May  to 
keep  cool,  and  had  arrived  a  couple  of  hours  before 
from  Portland.  Mrs.  Sykes  had  told  him  all  the 
news  she  could  in  this  time,  and  among  other 
things  informed  him  that  Captain  Patterdale  and 
the  deputy  sheriff  had  called  to  inquire  whether 
Laud  had  the  use  of  the  boat  for  taking  care  of 
her.  By  this  he  knew  that  the  tin  trunk  matter 
was  under  investigation.  He  was  interested,  and 
possibly  he  was  alarmed;  at  any  rate,  he  went  to 
his  safe,  put  the  roll  of  fifty-dollar  bills  in  his 
pocket,  and  hastened  over  to  Captain  Patterdale 's 
house. 

"When  people  come  to  my  house,  and  I'm  not 
at  home,  I  don't  like  to  have  them  talk  to  my  ser 
vants  about  my  affairs,"  blustered  the  strange 
man. 

"I  don't  think  we  meddled  with  your  affairs 
any  further  than  to  ask  if  Laud  Cavendish  had  the 
use  of  the  Juno  for  taking  care  of  her,"  explained 
Captain  Patterdale. 


288  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"It  don't  concern  you.  Laud  Cavendish  does 
have  the  use  of  the  Juno  for  taking  care  of  her." 

"Indeed  I "  exclaimed  the  good  nabob,  glancing 
at  Donald. 

"Indeed!"  sneered  the  wicked  nabob.  "You 
needn't  indeed  anything  I  say.  I  can  speak  the 
truth  better  than  you  psalm-singers." 

"I  am  very  glad  you  can,  Captain  Shivernock, 
for  that  is  what  we  are  in  need  of  just  now," 
laughed  the  good  nabob.  "And  since  we  have 
meddled  with  your  affairs  in  your  absence,  it  is 
no  more  than  right  that  we  should  explain  the 
reason  for  doing  so.  A  tin  box,  containing  nearly 
fourteen  hundred  dollars  in  bills,  and  many  valu 
able  papers,  was  stolen  from  this  room.  Three 
persons,  Jacob  Hasbrook,  Laud  Cavendish,  and 
Don  John  here,  passed  through  the  library  when 
they  left  the  house." 

"Hasbrook  stole  it;  he  is  the  biggest  scoundrel 
of  the  three,"  added  the  wicked  nabob. 

"Perhaps  not, ' '  continued  the  good  nabob.  '  'A 
bill  which  I  can  identify  came  back  to  me  the  other 
day.  Don  John  paid  it  to  Mr.  Leach,  and  he  to 
me.  Don  John  says  Laud  Cavendish  paid  him 
the  bill." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  289 

"And  so  he  did,"  protested  Donald,  as  the 
captain  glanced  at  him. 

"And  I  gave  it  to  Laud  Cavendish,"  added 
Captain  Shivernock;  thus  carrying  out  the  pro 
gramme  which  had  been  agreed  upon  the  night 
before  he  went  on  his  journey. 

Possibly,  if  Mr.  Laud  Cavendish  had  known 
that  the  wicked  nabob  had  returned,  he  would 
have  hastened  to  see  him,  and  inform  him  of  the 
change  he  had  made  in  the  programme.  If  he 
had  done  so,  their  stories  might  have  agreed  bet 
ter.  Captain  Patterdale,  Mr.Beardsley,  and  Don 
ald  were  astonished  at  this  admission. 

"For  what  did  you  pay  it  to  him?"  asked  the 
good  nabob. 

"None  of  your  business  what  I  paid  it  to 
him  for.  That's  my  affair,"  bluffed  the  wicked 
nabob. 

"But  this  bill  was  in  the  box." 

"But  how  do  you  know  it  was?  I  suppose  you 
will  say  next  that  I  stole  the  box. ' ' 

"I  hope  you  will  assist  me  in  tracing  out  this 
matter,"  said  the  good  nabob,  as  he  produced  the 
mended  bill.     "This  is  the   one;   I  call  it  the 
white  cross  of  Denmark." 
19 


290  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OK 

Captain  Shivernock  picked  up  the  bill,  and  took 
from  his  pocket  his  own  roll  of  fifties. 

"You  must  admit  that  the  bill  is  peculiar 
enough  to  be  easily  identified,"  added  Captain 
Patter  dale. 

"I  don't  admit  it,"  said  the  strange  man,  as 
he  threw  the  four  mended  bills  together  on  the 
desk. 

"Now,  which  is  it?" 

The  wicked  nabob  laughed  and  roared  in  his 
delight  when  he  saw  the  confusion  of  the  good 
nabob. 

"They  are  very  like,"  said  the  good. 

"But  three  of  them  are  mine,  and  haven't  been 
out  of  my  hands  since  the  'white  cross  of  Den 
mark'  was  put  upon  them,"  added  the  wicked, 
still  shaking  his  sides  with  mirth. 

"Still  I  can  indentify  the  one  that  was  in  the 
box.  That  is  it ; "  and  Captain  Patterdale  held 
up  the  right  one.  "This  has  been  folded,  while 
yours  have  simply  been  rolled,  and  have  not  a 
crease  in  them.  Hasbrook  paid  me  the  money 
that  was  stolen. ' ' 

"The  villain  swindled  it  out  of  me,"  growled 
the  wicked. 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  291 

"But  he  folded  his  money,  however  he  got  it," 
continued  the  good. 

"I  can  bring  you  a  dozen  bills  with  the  white 
cross  on  them,"  blustered  the  wicked,  "and  all  of 
them  folded  like  that  one." 

"Can  you  tell  where  you  got  it,  captain?" 

"From  the  bank,"  replied  he,  promptly;  and 
then  more  to  have  his  hit  at  the  missionaries  than 
to  explain  the  white  cross,  he  told  how  the  bills 
were  torn.  "That's  all  I  have  to  say,"  he  added ; 
and  he  stalked  out  of  the  house,  in  spite  of  the 
host's  request  for  him  to  remain,  without  giving  a 
word  or  even  a  look  to  Donald. 

"I  am  astonished,"  said  Captain  Patter  dale. 
"Can  it  be  possible  that  he  paid  that  bill  to 
Laud?" 

Perhaps  this  was  the  joke  of  the  strange  man — 
simply  to  confuse  and  confound  a  "psalm-singer." 

"It  looks  as  though  we  had  lost  the  clew,"  said 
the  deputy  sheriff.  "At  any  rate,  Don  John's 
story  is  confirmed." 

"Why  should  the  captain  give  Laud  so  much 
money?"  mused  the  nabob. 

"I  know,"  said  Donald.  "I  told  you,  in  the 
first  place,  that  I  knew  where  Laud  got  the  money 


292  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

to  pay  for  the  Juno;  but  it  was  a  great  secret 
affecting  another  person,  and  he  wished  me  not  to 
tell." 

1  'I  remember  that,  Don  John,"  added  the  cap 
tain. 

"He  told  me  that  Captain  Shivernock  gave  him 
the  money ;  but  he  would  not  tell  me  why  he  gave 
it  to  him;  but  I  knew  without  any  telling,  for  the 
captain  gave  me  sixty  dollars,  besides  the  Juno, 
for  holding  my  tongue." 

"About  what?"  asked  the  nabob,  deeply  inter 
ested  in  the  narrative. 

"I  don't  understand  the  matter  myself;  but  I 
will  state  all  the  facts,  though  Captain  Shivernock 
threatened  to  kill  me  if  I  did  so ,  On  the  morning 
after  the  Hasbrook  outrage,  while  I  was  waiting 
on  Turtle  Head  for  the  Yacht  Club  to  arrive,  the 
captain  came  to  the  Head,  saying  he  had  walked 
over  from  Seal  Harbor,  where  he  had  got  aground 
in  his  boat.  I  sailed  him  down,  and  on  the  way 
he  gave  me  the  money.  Then  he  said  I  was  not 
to  mention  the  fact  that  I  had  seen  him  on  Long 
Island,  or  anywhere  else.  I  didn't  make  any 
promises,  and  told  him  I  wouldn't  lie  about  it. 
Then  he  gave  me  the  Juno,  and  took  my  boat, 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  293 

which  ho  returned  that  night.  After  I  went  up  in 
the  Juno,  I  met  Laud,  and  offered  to  sell  him  the 
boat.  When  we  parted,  he  stood  over  towards  the 
Northport  shore,  where  Captain  Shivernock  had 
gone,  and  I  thought  they  would  meet;  but  I  lost 
sight  of  them." 

"Then  you  think  the  captain  paid  Laud  the 
money  when  they  met." 

"That  was  what  I  supposed  when  Laud  paid  me 
for  the  boat.  I  believed  it  was  all  right.  I  had 
a  talk  with  Laud  afterwards  about  it,  and  I  told 
him  how  he  got  the  money.  He  did  not  deny 
what  1  said." 

"This  was  the  morning  after  the  Hasbrook  out 
rage — was  it?"  asked  Mr.  Beardsley. 

"Yes,  it  was;  but  I  knew  nothing  about  that 
till  night." 

"We  can  easily  understand  why  the  captain  did 
not  want  to  be  seen  near  Lincolnville,"  added  the 
sheriff.  "It  was  he  who  pounded  Hasbrook  for 
swindling  him." 

"No,  sir ;  I  think  not,"  interposed  Donald.  "I 
inquired  into  that  matter  myself.  Mr.  Sykes  and 
his  wife  both  told  me,  before  the  captain  got  home, 
that  he  left  his  house  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 


294  THE  YACHT   CLUB,  OK 

"I  am  afraid  they  were  instructed  to  say  that," 
said  the  nabob. 

61  They  shall  have  a  chance  to  say  it  in  court 
under  oath,"  added  the  officer;  "for  I  will  arrest 
the  captain  to-morrow  for  the  outrage.  I  traced 
the  steps  of  a  man  over  to  Saturday  Cove,  in 
Northport,  and  that  is  where  he  landed." 

"Was  it  the  print  of  the  captain's  boot?" 
asked  the  nabob. 

"No;  but  I  have  a  theory  which  I  shall  work 
up  to-morrow.  Don  John's  evidence  is  the  first 
I  have  obtained,  that  amounts  to  anything." 

"If  he  pounded  Hasbrook,  why  should  he  run 
over  to  Seal  Harbor,  when  he  had  a  fair  wind  to 
come  up?"  asked  Donald. 

"To  deceive  you,  as  it  seems  he  has,"  laughed 
Mr.  Beardsley.  "Probably  getting  aground  de 
ranged  his  plans." 

"But  he  ran  over  to  Northport  after  we  parted." 

"Because  it  was  a  better  place  to  conceal  him 
self  during  the  day.  Sykes  says  he  went  down 
to  Viual  Haven  that  day.  I  know  he  did  not. 
Now,  Don  John,  we  must  go  to  Turtle  Head  to 
night,  and  see  about  that  box." 

"I  am  ready,  sir." 


THE   YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  295 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  added  Captain  Patter- 
dale;  "and  we  will  take  the  Sea  Foam." 

Donald  was  permitted  to  go  home  and  comfort 
his  mother  with  the  assurance  that  he  was  entirely 
innocent  of  the  crime  with  which  he  was  charged ; 
and  great  was  the  joy  of  his  mother  and  sister. 
The  mainsail  of  the  Sea  Foam  was  hoisted  when 
he  went  on  board.  The  wind  was  rather  light, 
and  it  was  midnight  before  the  yacht  anchored  off 
Turtle  Head.  The  party  went  ashore  in  the  ten 
der,  the  sheriff  carrying  a  lantern  and  a  shovel. 
Donald  readily  found  the  place  where  the  earth 
had  been  disturbed  by  Laud's  clam-digger.  Mr. 
Beardsley  dug  till  he  came  to  a  rock,  and  it  was 
plain  that  no  tin  box  was  there. 

"But  I  am  sure  that  Laud  had  been  digging 
here,  for  I  saw  the  print  of  his  clam-digger,"  said 
Donald. 

"This  hole  had  been  dug  before,"  added  the 
sheriff. 

"Even  Laud  Cavendish  would  not  be  fool 
enough  to  bury  the  box  in  such  an  exposed  place 
as  this,"  suggested  Captain  Patterdale. 

"I  know  he  came  down  here  on  the  day  the  box 
was  stolen,"  said  Donald,  "and  that  he  was  here 


296  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

with  his  clam-digger  on  the  day  I  met  Captain 
Shivernock.  He  must  have  put  those  papers  in 
the  shop." 

"If  the  box  was  ever  buried  here,  it  has  been 
removed,"  added  the  captain. 

"Just  look  at  the  dirt  which  came  out  of  the 
hole,"  continued  Mr.  Beardsley,  pointing  to  the 
heap,  and  holding  the  lantern  over  it.  "What  I 
threw  out  last  is  beach  gravel.  That  was  put  in 
to  fill  up  the  hole  after  he  had  taken  out  the  box. 
When  he  first  buried  it,  he  had  to  carry  off  some 
of  the  yellow  loam.  In  my  opinion,  the  box  has 
been  here." 

"It  is  not  here  now,  and  we  may  as  well  return," 
replied  Captain  Patterdale.  'I  am  really  more 
desirous  of  finding  the  papers  in  the  box  than  the 
money." 

"He  has  only  chosen  a  new  hiding-place  for 
it,"  said  the  sheriff.  "If  we  say  nothing,  and 
keep  an  eye  on  him  for  a  few  days,  we  may  find 
it." 

As  this  was  all  that  could  be  done,  the  party 
returned  to  the  city;  and  early  in  the  morning 
Donald  went  to  bed,  to  obtain  the  rest  he  needed 
before  the  great  day.  Possibly  Mr.  Beardsley 


THE    YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  297 

slept  some  that  night,  though  it  is  certain  he  was 
at  Saturday  Cove,  in  Northport,  the  next  fore 
noon.  He  had  a  "theory; "  and  when  a  man  has 
a  theory,  he  will  sometimes  go  without  his  sleep 
in  order  to  prove  its  truth  or  its  falsity.  Jacob 
Hasbrook  was  with  him,  and  quite  as  much  inter 
ested  in  the  theory  as  the  officer,  who  desired  to 
vindicate  his  reputation  as  a  detective.  He  had 
driven  to  the  house  of  the  victim  of  the  outrage, 
and  looked  the  matter  over  again  in  the  light  of 
the  evidence  obtained  from  the  boat-builder. 

"I  have  been  trying  to  see  Donald  Ramsay," 
said  Hasbrook.  "I  have  been  to  his  shop  four 
times,  but  he's  always  off  on  some  boat  scrape. 
You  say  he  saw  Captain  Shivernock  the  next 


morning. 


"Yes;  and  the  captain  didn't  want  to  be  seen, 
which  is  the  best  part  of  the  testimony.  If  it  was 
he,  it  seems  to  me  you  would  have  known  him 
when  he  hammered  you." 

"How  could  I,  when  he  was  rigged  up  so  dif 
ferent,  with  his  head  all  covered  up?"  replied 
Hasbrook,  impatiently.  "The  man  was  about  the 
captain's  height,  but  stouter." 

"He  was  dressed  for  the  occasion,"  added  the 


298  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OB 

sheriff,  as  he  walked  to  the  shore,  where  the  skiff 
lay. 

They  dragged  it  down  to  the  water, — for  it  was 
low  tide, — and  got  into  it.  Beardsley  had  traced 
to  the  cove  the  print  of  the  heavy  boot,  which  first 
appeared  in  some  loam  under  the  window  where 
the  ruffian  had  entered  Hasbrook's  house.  He 
found  it  in  the  sand  on  the  shore ;  and  he  was  satis 
fied  that  the  perpetrator  of  the  outrage  had  arrived 
and  departed  in  a  boat.  He  had  obtained  from 
the  captain's  boot-maker  a  description  of  his 
boots,  but  none  corresponded  with  those  which 
had  made  the  prints  in  Northport  and  Lincoln vi lie. 

At  the  cove  all  clew  to  the  ruffian  had  been  lost ; 
but  now  it  was  regained. 

The  sheriff  paddled  the  skiff  out  from  the  shore 
in  the  direction  of  Seal  Island.  The  water  was 
clear,  and  they  could  see  the  bottom,  which  they 
examined  very  carefully  as  they  proceeded. 

"I  see  it,"  suddenly  exclaimed  Hasbrook,  as  he 
grasped  the  boat-hook. 

"Lay  hold  of  it,"  added  the  sheriff.  "I  knew 
I  was  right. ' ' 

"I  have  it.'" 

Hasbrook  hauled  up  what  appeared  to  be  a  bun- 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  299 

die  of  old  clothes,  and  deposited  it  in  the  bottom 
of  the  skiff.  Mr.  Beardsley  had  worked  up  his 
case  very  thoroughly,  though  it  was  a  little  sin 
gular  that  he  had  not  thought  to  ask  Donald  any 
questions;  but  these  investigations  had  been  made 
when  the  boat-builder  was  at  home  all  the  time, 
and  the  detective  did  not  like  to  talk  about  the 
case  any  more  than  was  necessary.  He  had  ascer 
tained  that  Captain  Shivernock  wore  his  usual 
gray  suit  when  Donald  saw  him  after  the  outrage, 
and  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  ruffian  had 
been  disguised,  for  Hasbrook  would  certainly  have 
known  him,  even  in  the  dark,  in  his  usual  dress. 
They  returned  to  the  shore ;  and  the  bundle  was 
lifted,  to  convey  it  to  the  beach. 

"It  is  very  heavy,"  said  Hasbrook.  "I  sup 
pose  there  is  a  rock  in  it  to  sink  it. ' ' 

"Open  it,  and  throw  out  the  rock,"  added  the 
sheriff. 

Instead  of  a  rock,  the  weight  was  half  a  pig  of 
lead,  which  had  evidently  been  chopped  into  two 
pieces  with  an  axe. 

"That's  good  evidence,  for  the  ballast  of  the 
Juno  is  pig  lead,"  said  Beardsley,  as  he  stepped 
on  the  beach  with  the  clothes  in  his  hand. 


300  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

They  were  spread  on  the  sand,  and  consisted  of 
a  large  blue  woolen  frock,  such  as  farriers  some 
times  wear,  a  pair  of  old  trousers  of  very  large 
size,  and  a  pair  of  heavy  cow-hide  bootj. 

"Now  I  think  of  it,  the  man  had  a  frock  on," 
exclaimed  Hasbrook. 

"That's  what  made  him  look  stonier  than  the 
captain/'  added  Beardsley,  as  he  proceeded  to 
measure  one  of  the  boots,  and  compare  it  with  the 
notes  he  had  made  of  the  size  of  the  footprints. 
*  'It's  a  plain  case ;  these  boots  made  those  tracks. ' ' 

"And  here's  the  club  he  pounded  me  with," 
said  Hasbrook,  taking  up  a  heavy  stick  that  had 
been  in  the  bundle. 

"But  where  in  the  world  did  Captain  Shivernock 
get  these  old  duds?"  mused  the  sheriff. 

"Of  course  he  procured  them  to  do  this  job 
with,"  replied  Hasbrook. 

"That's  clear  enough;  but  where  did  they  coma 
from?  He  has  covered  his  tracks  so  well,  that  ho 
wouldn't  pick  these  things  up  near  home." 

"There  comes  a  boat,"  said  the  victim  of  the 
outrage,  as  a  sail  rounded  the  point. 

"Get  out  of  the  way  as  quick  as  you  can,'* 
added  the  sheriff,  in  excited  tones,  as  he  led  the 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  301 

way  into  the  woods  near  the  cove,  carrying  the 
wet  clothes  and  boots  with  him. 

4 'What's  the  matter  now?"  demanded  Has- 
brook. 

" That  boat  is  the  Juno;  Laud  Cavendish  is  in 
her,  and  I  want  to  know  what  he  is  about.  Don't 
speak  a  word,  or  make  a  particle  of  noise.  If  you 
do,  he  will  sheer  off;  and  I  want  to  see  the  ballast 
in  that  boat." 

Laud  ran  his  craft  up  to  the  rocks  on  one  side 
of  the  cove,  where  he  could  land  from  her;  but  as 
it  is  eleven  o'clock,  the  hour  appointed  for  the 
regatta,  we  must  return  to  the  city. 


302  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OB 


CHAPTEE 

t 

THE    GREAT   RACE. 

IT  was  nine  o'clock  when  Donald  turned  out 
on  the  day  of  the  great  regatta.  He  had 
returned  at  three  in  the  morning,  nearly  exhausted 
by  fatigue  and  anxiety.  It  was  horrible  to  be  sus 
pected  of  a  crime ;  and  bravely  as  he  had  carried 
himself,  he  was  sorely  worried.  He  talked  the 
matter  over  with  his  mother  and  sister  while  he 
was  eating  his  breakfast. 

"Why  should  Laud  Cavendish  charge  you  with 
such  a  wicked  deed?"  asked  his  mother. 

"To  save  himself,  I  suppose,"  replied  Donald. 
"But  he  won't  make  anything  by  it.  He  hid 
those  papers  in  the  shop  within  a  day  or  two,  I  am 
sure,  for  I  had  my  hand  in  the  place  where  he  put 
them,  feeling  for  a  brad-awl  I  dropped  day  before 
yesterday,  and  I  know  they  were  not  there  then. 
But  he  is  used  up,  anyhow,  whether  we  find  the 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  303 

box  or  not,  for  he  tells  one  story  and  Captain 
Shivernock  another ;  and  I  think  Captain  Patter- 
dale  believes  what  I  say  now.  But  the  race  comes 
off  to-day,  and  if  I  lose  it,  I  am  used  up  too." 

The  boat-builder  left  the  house,  and  went  on 
board  of  the  Maud,  which  lay  off  the  shop.  Sam 
uel  Kodman  was  on  deck,  and  they  hoisted  the 
mainsail.  The  wind  had  hauled  round  to  the 
north-west  early  in  the  morning,  and  blew  a  smash 
ing  breeze,  just  such  as  Donald  wanted  for  the 
great  occasion.  In  fact,  it  blew  almost  a  gale, 
and  the  wind  came  in  heavy  gusts,  which  are  very 
trying  to  the  nerves  of  an  inexperienced  boatman. 
The  Penobscot,  gayly  dressed  with  flags,  was 
moored  in  her  position  for  the  use  of  the  judges. 

"We  shall  not  want  any  kites  to-day,"  said 
Donald,  as  he  made  fast  the  throat  halyard. 

"No;  and  you  may  have  to  reef  this  mainsail," 
added  Rodman. 

"Not  at  all." 

"But  it  is  flawy." 

"So  much  the  better." 

"Why  so?" 

"Because  a  fellow  that  understands  himself  and 


304  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

keeps  his  eyes  wide  open  has  a  chance  to  gain 
something  on  the  heavy  flaws  that  almost  knock  a 
boat  over.  It  makes  a  sharper  game  of  it  " 

"But  Commodore  Montague  is  up  to  all  those 
dodges." 

"I  know  he  is;  but  in  the  other  race,  he  lost 
half  his  time  by  luffing  up  in  a  squall." 

"But  don't  you  expect  a  fellow  to  luff  up  in  a 
squall?"  demanded  Rodman. 

"If  necessary,  yes;  but  the  point  is,  to  know 
when  it  must  be  done.  If  you  let  off  the  main- 
sheet  or  spill  the  sail  every  time  a  puff  comes,  you 
lose  time,"  replied  Donald.  "I  believe  in  keep 
ing  on  the  safe  side ;  but  a  fellow  may  lose  the 
race  by  dodging  every  capful  of  wind  that  comes. 
There  goes  the  first  gun." 

"Let  us  get  into  line,"  added  Rodman,  as  he 
cast  off  the  moorings  and  hoisted  the  jib.  "Let 
her  drive." 

Donald  took  the  helm,  and  the  Maud  shot  away 
like  an  arrow  in  the  fresh  breeze. 

"Her  sails  set  beautifully,"  said  the  skipper  for 
the  occasion ;  though  Rodman  was  nominally  the 
captain  of  the  yacht,  and  was  so  recorded  in  the 
books  of  the  club. 


THE   YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  305 

"Nothing  could  be  better." 

"We  shall  soon  ascertain  how  stiff  she  is," 
added  Donald,  as  a  heavy  flaw  heeled  the  yacht 
over,  till  she  buried  her  rail  in  the  water.  "I 
don't  think  we  shall  get  anything  stronger  than 
that.  She  goes  down  just  so  far,  and  then  the 
wind  seems  to  slide  off.  I  don't  believe  you  can 
get  her  over  any  farther." 

"That's  far  enough,"  replied  Kodman,  holding 
on,  to  keep  his  seat  in  the  standing-room. 

The  Maud  passed  under  the  stern  of  the  judges' 
yacht,  and  anchored  in  the  line  indicated  by  the 
captain  of  the  fleet.  The  Skylark  soon  arrived, 
and  took  her  place  next  to  the  Pe nob  scot.  In 
these  two  yachts  all  the  interest  of  the  occasion 
centred.  The  Phantom  and  the  Sea  Foam  soon 
came  into  line;  and  then  it  was  found  that  the 
Christabel  had  withdrawn,  for  it  blew  too  hard  for 
her.  Mr.  Norwood  and  his  son  came  on  board, 
with  Dick  Adams,  who  was  to  be  mate  of  the 
Maud,  and  Kennedy,  who  was  well  skilled  in  sail 
ing  a  boat.  Donald  had  just  the  crew  he  wanted, 
and  he  stationed  them  for  the  exciting  race.  Mr. 
Norwood  was  to  tend  the  jib-sheets  in  the  stand 
ing-room,  Kennedy  the  main  sheet,  while  Dick 
20 


306  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

Adams,  Frank  Norwood,  and  Sam  Rodman  were 
to  cast  off  the  cable  and  hoist  the  jib  forward. 

"Are  you  all  ready,  there?"  called  Donald, 
raising  his  voice  above  the  noise  made  by  the 
banging  of  the  mainsail  in  the  fresh  breeze. 

"All  ready,"  replied  Dick  Adams,  who  was 
holding  the  rode  with  a  turn  around  the  bitts. 

"Don't  let  her  go  till  I  give  the  word,"  added 
Donald.  "I  want  to  fill  on  the  port  tack." 

"Ay,  ay!  "  shouted  Dick;    "on  the  port  tack." 

This  was  a  very  important  matter,  for  the 
course  from  the  judges'  station  to  Turtle  Head 
would  give  the  yachts  the  wind  on  the  port  quar 
ter;  and  if  any  of  them  came  about  the  wrong 
way,  they  would  be  compelled  to  gybe,  which  was 
not  a  pleasant  operation  in  so  stiff  a  breeze.  Don 
ald  kept  hold  of  the  main-sheet,  and  by  managing 
the  sail  a  little,  contrived  to  have  the  tendency  of 
the  Maud  in  the  right  direction,  so  that  her  sail 
would  fill  on  the  port  tack.  He  saw  that  Dick 
Adams  had  the  tender  on  the  port  bow,  so  that 
the  yacht  would  not  run  it  down  when  she  went 
off. 

"There  goes  the  gun!"  shouted  Rodman,  very 
much  excited  as  the  decisive  moment  came. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDEK.  307 

But  Dick  Adams  held  on,  as  he  had  been  in 
structed  to  do,  and  pulled  with  all  his  might,  in 
order  to  throw  the  head  of  the  Maud  in  the  right 
direction. 

* 'Hoist  the  jib!"  shouted  Donald,  when  he  saw 
that  the  yacht  was  sure  to  cast  on  her  port  tack. 

Rodman  and  Norwood  worked  lively;  and  in 
an  instant  the  jib  was  up,  and  Mr.  Norwood  had 
gathered  up  the  lee  sheet. 

"Let  go ! "  added  Donald,  when  he  felt  that  the 
Maud  was  in  condition  to  go  off  lively. 

She  did  go  off  with  a  bound  and  a  spring.  Don 
ald  crowded  the  helm  hard  up,  so  that  the  Maud 
wore  short  around. 

"Let  off  the  sheet,  lively,  Kennedy!"  said  the 
skipper.  "Ease  off  the  jib-sheet,  Mr.  Norwood! " 

"We  shall  be  afoul  of  the  Phantom!"  cried 
Dick  Adams,  as  he  began  to  run  out  on  the  foot- 
ropes  by  the  bowsprit. 

"Lay  in,  Dick!"  shouted  Donald.  "Don't  go 
out  there!" 

Dick  retraced  his  steps,  and  came  on  deck. 
The  Phantom  had  not  cast  in  the  right  direction, 
and  was  coming  around  on  the  starboard  tack, 
which  had  very  nearly  produced  a  collision  with 


308  THE   YACHT  CLUB,  OR 

the  Maud,  the  two  bowsprits  coming  within  a  few 
inches  of  each  other. 

4 'I  was  going  out  to  fend  off,"  said  Dick,  as  he 
came  aft,  in  obedience  to  orders. 

"I  was  afraid  you  would  be  knocked  off  the 
bowsprit,  which  is  a  bad  place  to  be,  when  two 
vessels  put  their  noses  together.  It  was  a  close 
shave,  but  we  are  all  right  now,"  replied  the 
skipper. 

"The  Sea  Foam  takes  the  lead,"  added  Mr. 
Norwood. 

6 'She  had  the  head  end  of  the  line.  The  Sky 
lark  made  a  good  start." 

" First  rate,"  said  Kennedy.  "She  couldn't 
be  handled  any  better  than  she  is." 

"We  lead  her  a  little,"  continued  Mr.  Nor 
wood. 

"We  had  the  advantage  of  her  about  half  a 
length ;  as  the  Sea  Foam  has  a  length  the  best  of 
us." 

The  yachts  were  to  form  the  line  head  to  the 
wind,  and  this  line  was  diagonal  with  the  course 
to  Turtle  Head,  so  that  the  Sea  Foam,  which 
was  farthest  from  the  Penobscot,  had  really  two 
length's  less  distance  to  go  in  getting  to  Stubb's 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  309 

Point  Ledge  than  the  Skylark;  but  this  difference 
was  not  worth  considering  in  such  a  breeze, 
though,  if  the  commodore  was  beaten  by  only  half 
a  length  by  the  Maud,  he  intended  to  claim  the 
race  on  account  of  this  disparity.  The  two  yachts 
in  which  all  the  interest  centred,  both  obtained 
a  fair  start,  the  Maud  a  little  ahead  of  her  great 
rival.  The  Phantom  had  to  come  about,  and  get 
on  the  right  tack,  for  Guilford  was  too  careful  to 
gybe  in  that  wind.  The  Sea  Foam  got  off  very 
well;  and  Vice  Commodore  Patterdale  was  doing 
his  best  to  make  a  good  show  for  his  yacht,  but 
she  held  her  position  only  for  a  moment.  The 
tremendous  gusts  were  too  much  for  Edward's 
nerves,  and  he  luffed  up,  in  order  to  escape  one. 
The  Maud  went  tearing  by  her,  with  the  Skylark 
over  lapping  her  half  a  length. 

4 'Haul  up  the  centre-board  a  little  more,  Dick," 
said  Donald,  who  did  not  bestow  a  single  glance 
upon  his  dreaded  rival,  for  all  his  attention  was 
given  to  the  sailing  of  the  Maud.  "A  small  pull 
on  the  jib-sheet,  Mr.  Norwood,  if  you  please." 

"You  gained  an  inch  then,"  said  Kennedy, 
striving  to  encourage  the  struggling  skipper. 

But  Donald  would  not  look  at  the  Skylark.    He 


310  THE    YACHT    CLUB,   OK 

knew  that  the  shortest  distance  between  two  points 
was  by  a  straight  line ;  and  having  taken  a  tree  on 
the  main  land  near  Castine  as  his  objective  point, 
he  kept  it  in  range  with  the  tompion  in  the  stove 
pipe,  and  did  not  permit  the  Maud  to  wabble  about. 
Occasionally  the  heavy  gusts  buried  the  rail  in  the 
brine ;  but  Donald  did  not  permit  her  to  dodge  it, 
or  to  deviate  from  his  inflexible  straight  line. 
She  went  down  just  so  far,  and  would  go  no  far 
ther  ;  and  at  these  times  it  was  rather  difficult  to 
keep  on  the  seat  at  the  weather  side  of  the  stand 
ing-room.  Dick  Adams,  Norwood,  and  Rodman 
were  placed  on  deck  above  the  trunk,  and  had  a 
comfortable  position.  The  skipper  kept  his  feet 
braced  against  the  cleats  on  the  floor,  holding  on 
with  both  hands  at  the  tiller;  for  in  such  a  blow, 
it  was  no  child's  play  to  steer  such  a  yacht. 

"You  are  gaining  on  her,  Don  John, "  said  Mr. 
Norwood. 

"Do  you  think  so,  sir?" 

"I  know  it." 

"The  end  of  her  bowsprit  is  about  even  with 
the  tip  of  our  main  boom, "  added  Kennedy. 

"How  much  fin  have  we  down,  Dick?"  asked 
the  skipper. 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  311 

The  mate  of  the  Maud  rushed  to  the  cabin, 
where  the  line  attached  to  the  centre-board  was 
made  fast,  and  reported  on  its  condition. 

"Haul  up  a  little  more,"  continued  Donald. 
"Steady!  Not  the  whole  of  it,  but  nearly  all." 

"It  is  down  about  six  inches  now." 

"That  will  do." 

For  a  few  moments  all  hands  were  still,  watch 
ing  with  intense  interest  the  progress  of  the  race. 
The  commodore,  in  the  Skylark,  was  evidently 
doing  his  level  best,  for  he  was  running  away  from 
the  Sea  Foam  and  the  Phantom. 

"Bravo,  Don  John! "  exclaimed  the  excited  Mr. 
Norwood.  "You  area  full  length  ahead!  lam 
willing  to  sign  the  contract  with  Eamsay  &  Son  to 
build  the  yacht  for  me." 

"Don't  be  too  fast,  sir.  We  are  not  out  of  the 
woods  yet,  and  shall  not  be  for  some  time." 

"I  am  satisfied  we  are  going  to  beat  the  Sky 
lark." 

"Beat  her  all  to  pieces!"  added  Frank  Nor 
wood.  "She  is  doing  it  as  easily  as  though  she 
were  used  to  it." 

"I  give  you  the  order  to  build  the  yacht,"  said 
Mr.  Norwood. 


312  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"Thank  you,  sir;  but  I  would  rather  wait  till 
this  race  is  finished  before  I  take  the  job.  We 
may  be  beaten  yet — badly  beaten,  too.  There  are 
a  dozen  things  that  may  use  us  up.  The  tide  is 
not  up,  so  that  I  can't  play  off  the  dodge  I  did  in 
the  Sea  Foam;  and  if  I  could,  Bob  Montague  is 
up  to  it." 

"There  is  no  need  of  any  dodge  of  any  sort," 
replied  Mr.  Norwood.  "We  are  beating  the  Sky 
lark  without  manoeuvring;  and  that  is  the  fairest 
way  in  the  world  to  do  it." 

"This  is  plain  sailing,  sir;  and  the  Skylark's 
best  point  is  on  the  wind.  For  aught  I  know, 
the  Maud  may  do  the  best  with  a  free  wind,"  said 
Donald ;  and  he  had  well  nigh  shuddered  when  he 
thought  of  the  difference  in  yachts  in  this  respect. 

"It  may  be  so;  but  we  are  at  least  two  lengths 
ahead  of  her  now." 

"Over  three,"  said  Kennedy. 

"So  much  the  better,"  laughed  Mr.  Norwood. 
"The  more  we  gain  with  the  wind  free,  the  less 
we  shall  have  to  make  on  the  wind." 

"But  really,  sir,  this  running  down  here  almost 
before  the  wind  is  nothing,"  protested  Donald, 
who  felt  that  his  passenger  was  indulging  in  strong 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  313 

expectations,  which  might  not  be  realized.  "The 
tug  of  war  will  come  when  we  go  about.  We 
have  to  beat  almost  dead  to  windward ;  and  it  may 
be  the  Maud  has  given  us  her  best  point  off  the 
wind." 

"You  don't  expect  her  to  fail  on  the  wind — do 
you,  Don  John." 

"No,  sir;  I  don't  expect  her  to  fail,  for  she  did 
first  rate  yesterday,  when  we  tried  her.  She 
looked  the  breeze  almost  square  in  the  face;  but 
I  can't  tell  how  she  will  do  in  comparison  with 
the  Skylark.  Of  course  I  don't  expect  the  Maud 
to  be  beaten ;  but  I  don't  want  you  to  get  your 
hopes  up  so  high,  that  you  can't  bear  a  disap 
pointment." 

"We  will  try  to  bear  it;  but  Frank  don't  want 
a  yacht  that  is  sure  to  be  beaten,"  added  Mr. 
Norwood. 

"Then  perhaps  it  is  fortunate  I  didn't  take  the 
job,  when  you  offered  to  give  it  to  me." 

"But  I  think  the  Maud  will  win  the  race,"  per 
sisted  the  confident  gentleman. 

"So  do  I;  but  it  is  always  best  to  have  an 
anchor  out  to  windward." 

"Bully  for  you,  Don  John!"  shouted  Kennedy, 


314  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

after  the  yacht  had  crossed  the  channel  where  the 
sea  was  very  rough  and  choppy.  "You  made  a 
good  bit  in  the  last  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  we  are 
a  dozen  lengths  ahead  of  her." 

"  Surely  she  can  never  gain  that  distance  upon 
us!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Norwood. 

"It  is  quite  possible,  sir.  I  have  known  a  boat 
to  get  a  full  mile  ahead  of  another  before  the 
wind,  and  then  be  beaten  by  losing  it  all,  and 
more  too,  going  to  windward.  I  expect  better 
things  than  that  of  the  Maud ;  but  she  may  disap 
point  me.  She  is  only  making  her  reputation 
now." 

Donald  watched  his  "sight"  ahead  all  the  time, 
and  had  not  seen  the  Skylark  for  half  an  hour. 
The  party  was  silent  again  for  a  while,  but  the 
Maud  dashed  furiously  on  her  course,  now  and 
then  burying  her  rail,  while  the  water  shot  up 
through  the  lee  scupper-holes  into  the  standing- 
room.  But  Dick  Adams,  who  was  a  natural  me 
chanic,  was  making  a  pair  of  plugs  to  abate  this 
nuisance. 

"Turtle  Head!"  exclaimed  Kodman,  who, 
though  he  had  said  but  little,  watched  the  move 
ments  of  the  yacht  with  the  most  intense  delight 
and  excitement. 


THE   YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER.  315 

"We  are  a  square  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  the 
Skylark, ' '  said  Kennedy.  "Business  will  be  good 
with  us,  Don  John,  after  this." 

"Give  her  a  little  more  main-sheet,  Kennedy," 
was  the  skipper's  reply,  as  the  yacht  passed  the 
Head,  and  he  kept  her  away  a  little. 

"Eleven  thirty,"  mused  Mr.  Norwood,  who  had 
taken  out  his  gold  watch,  and  noted  the  moment 
when  the  Maud  passed  the  headland. 

"Now,  mind  your  eye,  all  hands!"  shouted 
Donald,  as  the  Maud  approached  the  north-east 
point  of  Long  Island,  where  he  had  to  change  her 
course  from  south-east  to  south,  which  involved 
the  necessity,  with  the  wind  north-west,  of  gyb 
ing,  or  coming  about  head  to  the'  wind. 

It  would  take  a  small  fraction  ol  a  minute  to 
execute  the  latter  manoeuvre;  and  as  the  sails 
were  now  partially  sheltered  under  the  lee  of  the 
land,  the  bold  skipper  determined  to  gybe.  Ken 
nedy  had  early  notice  of  his  intention,  and  had 
laid  the  spare  sheet  where  it  would  not  foul  any 
body's  legs.  He  hauled  in  all  he  could  with  the 
help  of  the  mate  and  others. 

"Now,  over  with  it,"  said  Donald,  as  he  put 
the  helm  down. 


316  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

The  huge  mainsail  fluttered  and  thrashed  for  an 
instant,  and  then  flew  over.  Kennedy,  who  had 
been  careful  to  catch  a  turn  in  the  rope,  held  fast 
when  the  sail  * 'fetched  up"  on  the  other  tack, 
and  then  the  yacht  rolled  her  rail  under  oil  the 
port  side. 

"Let  off  the  sheet,  lively! "  cried  Donald. 

"That's  what  I'm  doing,"  replied  the  stout 
ship  carpenter,  paying  off  the  sheet  very  rapidly, 
so  as  to  break  the  shock. 

"Steady!  belay!  Now  draw  jib  there." 

As  Dick  Adams  cast  off  the  weather  sheet  in 
the  new  position,  Mr.  Norwood  hauled  in  the  lee. 
For  a  short  distance  the  Maud  had  the  wind  on 
her  starboard  quarter;  then  the  sheets  were  hauled 
in,  and  she  took  it  on  the  beam,  till  she  was  up  with 
the  buoy  on  Stubbs  Point  Ledge,  which  she  was 
to  round,  leaving  it  on  the  port.  The  ledge  was 
not  far  from  the  land,  on  which  was  a  considerable 
bluff,  so  that  the  wind  had  not  more  than  half  its 
force.  In  rounding  the  buoy,  it  was  necessary  to 
gybe  again;  and  it  was  done  without  shaking  up 
the  yacht  half  so  much  as  at  the  north-east  point. 

"Now  comes  the  pull,"  said  Donald,  as  the 
Maud  rounded  the  buoy.  "Stand  by  your  sheets ! 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  317 

Now  brace  her  up !    Give  her  the  whole  of  the 
board,  Dick." 

Donald  put  the  helm  down ;  the  jib  and  mainsail 
were  trimmed  as  flat  as  it  was  judicious  to  have 
them;  and  the  Maud  was  close-hauled,  standing  up 
to  the  northward.  The  skipper  was  careful  not  to 
cramp  her  by  laying  too  close  to  the  wind.  He 
was  an  experienced  boatman,  and  he  governed  him 
self  more  by  the  feeling  of  the  craft  under  him 
than  by  his  sight.  He  could  shut  his  eyes,  and 
tell  by  the  pressure  of  the  tiller  in  his  hand 
whether  she  was  cramped,  or  was  going  along 
through  the  water. 

"Did  you  get  the  time  when  the  Skylark  passed 
the  Head,  Mr.  Norwood?"  asked  Donald. 

"No;  you  made  things  so  lively,  I  hadn't  time 
to  look,"  replied  the  gentleman.  "I  should  like 
to  know  just  how  many  minutes  we  are  ahead  of 
her." 

"I  think  I  can  tell  you,  sir,"  added  the  skipper, 
with  a  smile. 

"How  many?" 

"How  many  do  you  think,  sir?" 

"Five  or  six." 
'Not  more  than  one  and  a  half,  Mr.  Norwood, 


318  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

Neither  yacht  has  to  give  the  other  time,  and  what 
we  gain  belongs  to  us." 

"I  should  have  thought  we  were  at  least  five 
minutes  ahead  of  her." 

"No,  sir.  Now  we  have  a  chance  to  manoeuvre 
a  little,"  added  Donald.  * 'I  know  just  what  the 
commodore  will  do;  he  will  stand  on  this  tack, 
when  he  gets  round  the  buoy,  till  he  is  almost  up 
with  Brigadier  Island;  then  he  will  make  a  long 
stretch.  I  shall  not  do  so." 

"Why  not?" 

"Because,  if  the  wind  lessens,  he  will  get  under 
the  lee  of  the  land.  I  shall  go  just  one  mile  on 
this  tack,"  replied  Donald.  "Have  you  any  rub 
ber  coats  on  board,  Sam?" 

"I  have  only  two." 

"You  will  want  them,  for  we  are  beginning  to 
toss  the  spray  about,  as  though  it  didn't  cost  any 
thing." 

It  was  decidedly  damp  on  the  deck  of  the  Maud, 
for  the  water  thrown  up  by  the  waves,  dashing 
against  the  weather  bow,  was  carried  by  the  gusty 
wind  to  the  standing-room,  drenching  those  who 
sat  there.  Donald  and  his  companions  had  no  fear 
of  salt  water,  and  were  just  as  happy  wet  to  the 


THE    YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  319 

skin,  as  they  were  when  entirely  dry,  for  the 
excitement  was  quite  enough  to  keep  them  warm, 
even  in  a  chill,  north-west  wind.  Half  way  across 
to  Brigadier  Island,  Donald  gave  the  order, 
"Ready  about,"  and  tacked.  As  he  had  predict 
ed,  Commodore  Montague  continued  on  his  course, 
almost  over  to  the  island,  and  then  came  about. 
The  Maud  rushed  furiously  on  her  long  stretch, 
dashing  the  spray  recklessly  over  her  deck,  till 
she  was  almost  up  with  the  Northport  shore,  when 
she  tacked  again,  and  laid  her  course  to  windward 
of  the  judges'  yacht,  as  the  regulations  required. 
As  she  rounded  the  Penobscot,  a  gun  announced 
the  arrival  of  the  first  yacht.  The  Maud  let  off 
her  sheets,  and  passed  under  the  stern  of  the 
judges'  craft. 

"The  Maud! "  shouted  Donald,  enraptured  with 
his  victory. 

Four  minutes  and  thirty-four  seconds  later,  the 
gun  announced  the  arrival  of  the  Skylark.  It  was 
all  of  twenty  minutes  later  when  the  Sea  Foam 
arrived,  and  half  an  hour  before  the  Phantom  put 
in  an  appearance.  There  was  not  a  shadow  of  a 
doubt  that  the  Maud  had  won  the  great  race. 


320  THE  YACHT  CLUB,  OB 


CHAPTER 

THE  HASBROOK  OUTRAGE  AND  OTHER  MATTERS. 

THE  Maud  went  round  to  the  line,  and  after 
picking  up  her  tender  and  moorings,  anchored 
near  the  Penobscot. 

"There  is  no  doubt  now  which  boat  has  won 
the  race,"  said  Mr.  Norwood. 

" None  whatever,  sir,"  replied  Donald.  "The 
day  is  ours  by  as  fair  a  race  as  ever  was  sailed. 
The  Maud  proved  what  she  could  do  before  we 
got  to  Turtle  Head;  and  all  the  conditions  were 
exactly  equal  up  to  that  time.  If  I  made  anything 
by  manoeuvring,  it  was  only  when  we  tacked  a 
mile  north  of  the  Head.  We  have  beaten  her 
squarely  in  a  heavy  wind;  but  how  she  would  do 
compared  with  the  Skylark  in  a  light  breeze,  is 
yet  to  be  proved." 

"  I  am  satisfied,  Don  John;  and  I  give  you  the 
job  to  build  the  Alice,  for  that  is  to  be  the  name 
of  Frank's  yacht." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDEK.  321 

"Thank  you,  sir.  I  suppose  you  don't  expect 
to  get  her  out  this  season. " 

"No;  if  he  has  her  by  the  first  of  June  of  next 
year,  it  will  be  soon  enough. — I  hope  you  are  sat 
isfied  with  the  Maud,  Sam,"  added  Mr.  Norwood, 
turning  to  the  owner  of  the  winning  craft. 

"I  ought  to  be,  and  I  am,"   replied  Rodman. 

"You  have  the  fastest  yacht  in  the  fleet." 

"She  won't  be  when  I  sail  her.  The  commo 
dore  will  clean  me  out  every  time,  if  Don  John  is 
not  at  the  helm." 

"Then  there  is  a  capital  opportunity  for  you  to 
improve  in  the  art  of  sailing  a  yacht. ' ' 

"Plenty  of  room  for  that,"    laughed  Rodman. 

Dick  Adams  brought  the  tender  alongside,  and 
pulled  Mr.  Norwood,  Rodman,  and  Donald  to  the 
Penobscot. 

"I  congratulate  you,  Don  John,"  said  Mr. 
Montague,  extending  his  hand  to  the  boatbuilder. 
"You  have  won  the  race  handsomely." 

"Thank  you,  sir." 

"It  is  a  double  triumph  to  you,  since  you  both 
built  your  yacht,  and  sailed  her,"  added  Mr. 
Montague. 

"It  is  worth  a  good  deal  to  me  in  a  business 
21 


322  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

point  of  view ;  for  I  get  a  job  to  build  another 
yacht  by  it.  The  firm  of  Ramsay  &  Son  can't 
afford  to  have  their  boats  beaten,"  laughed  Don 
ald.  "Here  comes  Robert." 

"I  suppose  he  will  not  be  satisfied  with  the 
Skylark,  now  that  she  has  been  so  thoroughly 
whipped,"  added  the  commodore's  father. 

"Perfectly  satisfied  with  her,  father.  She  is  as 
good  a  boat  as  she  ever  was,"  answered  Robert, 
as  he  gave  his  hand  to  Donald.  "You  have  won 
the  race  fairly  and  handsomely,  Don  John;  and  I 
congratulate  you  upon  your  success." 

"I  thank  you,  Bob;  but  I  would  rather  have 
beaten  any  other  fellow  than  you,"  replied  Donald. 

"I  can  stand  it  as  well  as  anybody." 

The  ladies  and  gentlemen  on  board  of  the  Penob- 
scot  congratulated  the  hero  of  the  occasion,  and 
condoled  with  the  commodore,  till  the  last  of  the 
fleet  arrived.  The  judges  filled  out  the  schedule 
with  the  corrected  time. 

"Captain  Rodman,  of  the  Maud,"  said  the  chair 
man  ;  and  the  owner  of  the  winning  yacht  stepped 
forward.  "It  appears  from  the  schedule  that  you 
have  made  the  shortest  time,  and  I  have  the  pleas 
ure  of  presenting  to  you  the  first  prize." 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  323 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  replied  Rodman,  accepting 
the  envelope,  which  contained  the  prize  of  one 
hundred  dollars;  "but  as  it  appears  that  Donald 
Ramsay  sailed  the  Maud,  as  well  as  built  her,  I 
shall  have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  it  to  him." 

A  round  of  hearty  applause  followed  this  little 
speech,  which  ended  in  three  cheers  for  the  cap 
tain  of  the  Maud,  and  three  more  for  her  builder. 

"I  can't  take  that,"  said  Donald,  declining  to 
receive  the  envelope. 

"But  you  must  take  it.  I  will  hand  you  over 
to  Mr.  Deputy  Sheriff  Bear dsley,  who,  I  see,  is 
coming  up  the  bay  in  the  Juno. " 

"It  don't  belong  to  me.  I  am  not  the  owner  of 
the  Maud,"  protested  Donald. 

''Take  it!  take  it! "  shouted  one  and  another  of 
the  interested  spectators,  until  nearly  all  of  them 
had  expressed  their  opinion  in  this  way. 

Thus  overborne,  the  boat-builder  took  the  envel 
ope,  though  his  pride  revolted. 

"Commodore  Montague,  it  appears  that  the 
Skylark  made  the  next  best  time,  and  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  presenting  to  you  the  second  prize." 

"Which  I  devote  to  the  club  for  the  building 
fund." 


324  THE   YACHT   CLUB,  OB 

The  members  heartily  applauded  this  disposal 
of  the  money. 

"I  will  give  the  other  prize  to  the  club  for  the 
same  purpose/'  added  Donald. 

"Impossible!"  exclaimed  Commodore  Mon 
tague.  "The  fund  is  completed,  and  the  donation 
cannot  be  accepted." 

"No I  No!  "  shouted  the  members. 

"The  fifty  dollars  I  added  to  the  fund  just 
makes  up  the  sum  necessary  to  pay  for  the  club 
house  on  Turtle  Head,  which  is  to  be  only  a 
shanty;  so  you  can't  play  that  game  on  us,  Don 
John." 

Donald  was  compelled  to  submit;  and  he  trans 
ferred  the  hundred  dollars  to  his  pocket-book. 

"I  am  so  glad  you  won  the  race,  Don  John!" 
said  Nellie  Patterdale.  "Everybody  said  you 
sailed  the  Maud  splendidly." 

"Thank  you,  Nellie;  your  praise  is  worth  more 
to  me  than  that  of  all  the  others,"  replied  Donald, 
blushing  deeply ;  but  I  must  do  him  the  justice  to 
say  that,  if  he  had  not  been  laboring  under  intense 
excitement,  he  would  not  have  made  so  palpable 
a  speech  to  her. 

Nellie  blushed  too;    but  she  was  not  angry, 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  325 

though  her  father  might  have  been,  if  he  had  heard 
the  remark. 

"Is  Captain Patterdale  on  board?"  shouted  Mr. 
Beardsley,  as  the  Juno  ran  under  the  stern  of  the 
Penobscot. 

"Here,"  replied  the  captain. 

"I  want  to  see  you  and  Don  John,"  added  the 
officer. 

The  business  of  the  race  was  finished,  and  the 
Maud  conveyed  Captain  Patterdale,  his  daughter, 
and  Donald  to  the  shore.  Laud  Cavendish  was 
in  the  Juno,  and  so  was  Hasbrook;  but  none  of 
the  party  knew  what  had  transpired  at  Saturday 
Cove  during  the  forenoon. 

"I  will  be  at  your  house  in  half  an  hour,  Cap 
tain  Patterdale/'  said  Donald,  as  they  landed. 
"I  am  wet  to  the  skin,  and  I  want  to  put  on  dry 
clothes." 

Mr.  Beardsley  had  proposed  the  place  of  meet 
ing;  and  the  boat-builder  hastened  home.  In  a 
few  minutes  he  had  put  himself  inside  a  dry  suit 
of  clothes.  Then  he  went  to  the  shop,  and  wrote 
a  brief  note  to  Captain  Shivernock,  in  which  he 
enclosed  sixty  dollars,  explaining  that  as  he  had 
been  unable  to  "keep  still  with  his  tongue,"  ho 


32 G  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

could  not  keep  the  money.  He  also  added,  that 
he  should  send  him  the  amount  received  for  the 
Juno  when  he  obtained  the  bills  from  Captain 
Patterdale,  who  had  a  part  of  them.  Sealing  this 
note  in  an  envelope,  he  called  at  the  house  of  the 
strange  man,  on  his  way  to  the  place  of  meeting. 
Mrs.  Sykes  said  that  Captain  Shivernock  was  in 
his  library. 

"Please  to  give  him  this;  and  if  he  wishes  to 
see  me,  I  shall  be  at  Captain  Patterdale 's  house 
for  an  hour  or  two,"  continued  Donald;  and  with 
out  giving  the  housekeeper  time  to  reply,  he  has 
tened  off,  confident  there  would  be  a  storm  as 
soon  as  the  eccentric  opened  the  note. 

In  the  library  of  the  elegant  mansion,  he  found 
the  party  who  had  been  in  the  Juno,  with  Captain 
Patterdale  and  Nellie.  On  the  desk  was  the  tin 
box,  the  paint  on  the  outside  stained  with  yellow 
loam.  Laud  Cavendish  looked  as  though  life 
was  a  burden  to  him,  and  Donald  readily  compre 
hended  the  situation. 

"We  have  found  the  tin  box,"  said  Mr.  Beards- 
ley,  with  a  smile,  as  the  boat-builder  was  admit 
ted. 

"Where  did  you  find  it?" 


THE    TOTING   BOAT-BUILDER.  327 

"Laud  had  it  in  his  hand  down  at  Saturday 
Cove.  While  I  was  looking  up  the  Hasbrook 
affair,  our  friend  here  landed  from  the  Juno,  and 
was  walking  towards  the  woods,  when  he  walked 
into  me.  He  owns  up  to  everything." 

"Then  I  hope  you  are  satisfied  that  I  had  noth 
ing  to  do  with  the  box." 

"Of  course  we  are,"  interposed  Captain  Patter- 
dale.  "It  certainly  looked  bad  for  you  at  one 
time,  Don  John." 

"I  know  it  did,  sir,"  added  Donald. 

"But  I  could  not  really  believe  that  you  would 
do  such  a  thing,"  said  the  captain. 

"I  knew  he  wouldn't,"  exclaimed  Nellie. 

"Laud  says  he  buried  the  box  on  Turtle  Head, 
just  where  you  said,  and  only  removed  it  yester 
day,  when  he  put  the  notes  under  the  sill  in  your 
shop,"  continued  Mr.  Beardsley. 

"What  did  you  do  that  for,  Laud?"  asked 
Donald,  turning  to  the  culprit. 

"You  promised  not  to  tell  where  I  got  the 
money  to  pay  for  the  Juno.  You  went  back  on 
me,"  pleaded  Laud. 

"I  told  you  I  wouldn't  tell  if  everything  was 
all  right.  When  it  appeared  that  the  mended  bill 


328  THE   YACHT    CLUB,   OR 

was  not  all  right,  I  mentioned  your  name,  but  not 
till  then." 

"That  is  so,"  added  the  nabob.  "Now,  Laud, 
did  Captain  Shivernock  pay  you  any  money?" 

"No,  sir,"  replied  Laud,  who  had  concluded  to 
tell  the  whole  truth,  hoping  it  would  go  easier 
with  him  if  he  did  so. 

* '  Where  did  you  get  the  mended  bill  you  paid 
Don  John?" 

"From  the  tin  trunk." 

"Why  did  you  say  that  Captain  Shivernock 
gave  you  the  money  you  paid  for  the  Juno  ?" 

"I  couldn't  account  for  it  in  any  other  way.  I 
knew  the  captain  threw  his  money  around  very 
loosely,  and  I  didn't  think  any  one  would  ask  him 
if  he  gave  me  the  money.  If  any  one  did,  he 
wouldn't  answer." 

"But  he  did  answer,  and  said  he  gave  you  the 
money." 

"He  told  me  he  would  say  so,  when  I  went  to 
see  him  a  fortnight  ago." 

"Why  did  you  go  to  see  him?" 

Laud  glanced  at  Donald  with  a  faint  smile  on 
his  haggard  face. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  329 

"Don  John  told  mo  Captain  Shivernock  had  a 
secret  he  wanted  to  keep." 

"I  told  you  so!"  exclaimed  Donald. 

44 You  did;  but  you  thought  I  knew  the  secret," 
answered  Laud.  "You  told  me  the  captain  had 
given  me  the  money  not  to  tell  that  I  had  seen 
him  near  Saturday  Cove  on  the  morning  after  the 
Hasbrook  affair." 

"I  remember  now,"  said  Donald.  * 'Captain 
Shivernock  gave  me  sixty  dollars,  and  then  gave 
me  the  Juno,  for  which  I  understood  that  I  was 
not  to  say  I  had  seen  him  that  day.  I  refused  to 
sell  the  boat  to  Laud  till  he  told  me  where  he  got 
the  money.  When  he  told  me  the  captain  had 
given  it  to  him,  and  would  not  say  what  for,  I 
concluded  his  case  was  just  the  same  as  my  own. 
After  I  left  the  captain,  he  stood  over  to  the 
Northport  shore,  and  Laud  went  over  there  soon 
after.  I  was  sure  that  they  met. ' ' 

"We  didn't  meet;  and  I  did  not  see  Captain 
Shivernock  that  day,"  Laud  explained. 

"I  supposed  he  had;  I  spoke  to  Laud  just  as 
though  he  had,  and  he  didn't  deny  that  he  had 
seen  him." 

4 'Of  course  I  didn't.  Don  John  made  my  story 
good,  and  I  was  willing  to  stick  to  it." 


330  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"But you  did  not  stick  to  it,"  added  the  nabob. 
"You  said  you  had  paid  no  money  to  Don  John." 

"I  will  tell  you  how  that  was.  When  I  got  the 
secret  out  of  Don  John,  I  went  to  the  captain  with 
it.  He  asked  rue  if  I  wanted  to  black-mail  him. 
I  told  him  no.  Then  I  spoke  to  him  about  the  tin 
trunk  you  had  lost,  and  said  one  of  the  bills  had 
been  traced  to  me.  I  made  up  a  story  to  show 
where  I  got  the  bill ;  but  the  man  that  gave  it  to 
me  had  gone,  and  I  didn't  even  know  his  name. 
He  had  some  bills  just  like  that  mended  one; 
and  when  I  told  him  what  my  trouble  was,  he 
promised  to  say  that  he  had  given  me  the  bill; 
and  then  he  laughed  as  I  never  saw  a  man  laugh 
before." 

"What  was  he  laughing  at?"  asked  the  sheriff. 

"He  went  off  early  the  next  morning,  and  I  sup 
pose  he  was  laughing  to  think  what  a  joke  he  was 
playing  upon  me,  for  he  was  not  to  be  in  town 
wh'in  wanted  to  get  me  out  of  trouble." 

'  'He  did  say  he  let  you  have  the  use  of  the  Juno 
for  taking  care  of  her,  and  that  he  gave  you  the 
money,  though  he  wouldn't  indicate  what  it  was 
for,"  added  the  officer. 

"I  thought  he  was  fooling  me,  and  I  didn't 
Depend  on  him." 


THE   YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  331 

"That's  Captain  Shivernock,"  said  the  good 
nabob,  as  the  party  in  the  library  were  startled  by 
a  violent  ring  at  the  door. 

It  was  the  strange  man.  He  was  admitted  by 
Nellie.  He  stalked  tip  to  Donald,  his  face  red 
with  wrath,  and  dashed  the  letter  and  bills  into 
his  face,  crumpled  up  into  a  ball. 

"You  canting  little  monkey!  What  have  you 
been  doing?"  roared  he. 

"Since  I  could  not  do  what  you  wished  me  to 
do,  I  have  returned  your  money,"  replied  Donald, 
rising  from  his  chair,  for  he  feared  the  captain 
intended  to  assault  him. 

"Have  you  disobeyed  my  orders,  you  whelp?" 

"I  have;    for  I  told  you  I  should  tell  no  lies." 

"I'll  break  every  bone  in  your  body  for  this!" 
howled  Captain  Shivernock. 

"Not  yet,  captain,"  interposed  Mr.  Beardsley. 
"You  may  have  something  else  to  break  before 
you  do  that  job." 

"Who  are  you?"  demanded  the  wicked  nabob, 
with  what  was  intended  as  a  withering  sneer ;  but 
no  one  wilted  under  it. 

"A  deputy  sheriff  of  Waldo  County,  at  your 
service;  and  I  have  a  warrant  for  your  arrest." 


332  THE    YACHT   CLUB,    OK 

"For  my  arrest!"  gasped  Captain  Shivernock, 
dismounting  from  his  high  horse,  for  he  had  a 
wholesome  fear  of  the  penalties  of  violated  law. 

"Here  is  the  document,"  added  the  sheriff, 
producing  a  paper. 

"For  what?" 

"For  breaking  and  entering  in  the  night  time, 
in  the  first  place,  and  for  an  aggravated  assault  on 
Jacob  Hasbrook  in  the  second." 

"What  assault?   You  can't  prove  it." 

"Yes,  we  can;  we  went  a  fishing  down  in  Sat 
urday  Cove  this  morning,  and  we  caught  a  bundle, 
containing  a  pair  of  boots,  a  blue  frock,  and  other 
articles,  including  the  stick  the  assault  was  com 
mitted  with.  They  were  sunk  with  half  a  pig  of 
lead,  the  other  half  of  which  I  found  in  the  Juno. 
I  hope  you  are  satisfied." 

"No,  I'm  not.  I  didn't  leave  my  house  till 
four  o'clock  that  morning;  and  I  can  prove  it." 

"You  will  have  an  opportunity  to  do  so  in 
court." 

The  wicked  nabob  was  silent. 

"I  was  bound  to  follow  this  thing  up  to  the  bit 
ter  end,"  said  Hasbrook,  rejoiced  at  the  detection 
of  the  wretch. 


THE    YOUNG    BOAT-BUILDER.  333 

" You  got  what  you  deserved,  you  miserable, 
canting  villain!"  roared  the  captain.  "You 
cheated  me  out  of  a  thousand  dollars,  by  giv 
ing  me  an  indorser  you  knew  wasn't  worth  a 
dollar." 

"But  I  meant  to  pay  you.  I  pay  my  debts.  I 
appeal  to  Captain  Patterdale  to  say  whether  I  do 
or  not." 

"I  think  you  do  when  it  is  for  your  interest  to 
do  so,  or  when  you  can't  help  it,"  added  the  good 
nabob,  candidly.  "I  suppose  you  know  Mr.  Laud 
Cavendish ,  captain  ? ' ' 

"I  do,"  growled  the  rich  culprit.  "He  is  the 
fellow  that  saved  a  man's  life  down  at  Haddock 
Ledge;  a  man  he  hadn't  been  introduced  to,  who 
gave  him  a  pile  of  money  for  the  job,  but  didn't 
give  him  his  name." 

"But,  Captain  Shivernock,  you  said  you  gave 
him  some  money,  and  you  didn't  tell  us  what  you 
gave  it  to  him  for,"  added  Beardsley. 

"That  was  my  joke. " 

"We  do  not  see  the  point  of  it." 

"I  only  wanted  the  privilege  of  proving  to  Cap 
tain  Patterdale  that  he  was  mistaken  about  the 
bill,  by  showing  him  three  more  just  like  it." 


334  THE   YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

"How  do  you  fold  your  money,  Captain  Shiv- 
ernock?"   asked  the  nabob. 

"None  of  your  business,   you  canting  psalm- 


singer." 


"I  shall  be  obliged  to  commit  you,"  said  the 
sheriff,  sharply. 

"Commit  me! '  howled  the  wicked  nabob.  "I 
should  like  to  see  you  do  it." 

"You  shall  have  that  satisfaction.  If  you  give 
me  any  trouble  about  it,  I  shall  have  to  put  these 
things  on,"  added  the  sheriff,  taking  from  his 
pocket  a  pair  of  handcuffs. 

The  culprit  withered  at  the  sight  of  the  irons. 
He  and  Laud  both  walked  to  the  county  jail,  where 
they  were  locked  up.  Of  course  the  imprison 
ment  of  such  a  man  as  the  wicked  nabob  caused  a 
sensation;  but  there  was  no  one  to  object.  He 
was  willing  to  pay  any  sum  of  money  to  get  out 
of  the  scrape ;  but  the  majesty  of  the  law  must  be 
vindicated,  and  there  was  a  contest  between 
money  and  justice.  He  obtained  bail  by  deposit 
ing  the  large  amount  required  in  the  hands  of  two 
men,  whom  his  well-feed  lawyer  procured.  Be 
tween  two  days  he  left  the  city ;  but  Beardsley 
kept  the  run  of  him,  and  when  he  was  wanted 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  335 

for  trial,  he  was  brought  back  from  a  western 
state. 

On  the  trial  a  desperate  attempt  was  made  to 
break  down  the  witnesses;  but  it  failed.  The  first 
for  the  defence  was  Mrs.  Sykes;  but  her  evidence 
was  not  what  had  been  expected  of  her.  She  had 
told,  and  repeated  the  lie,  that  the  captain  left 
his  house  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  after  the 
outrage ;  but  in  court,  and  under  oath,  she  would 
not  perjure  herself.  She  declared  that  the  defend 
ant  had  left  home  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  even 
ing,  dressed  in  her  husband's  blue  frock,  boots, 
and  hat.  Mr.  Sykes,  after  his  wife  had  told  the 
whole  truth,  was  afraid  to  testify  as  he  had  said 
he  should  do.  A  conviction  followed;  and  the 
prisoner  was  sentenced  to  the  state  prison  for  ten 
years.  He  was  overwhelmed  by  this  result.  He 
swore  like  a  pirate,  and  then  he  wept  like  a  child; 
but  he  was  sent  to  Thomaston,  and  put  to  hard 
work. 

Laud  pleaded  guilty,  and  was  sent  to  the  same 
institution  for  a  year.  There  was  hope  of  him; 
for  if  he  could  get  rid  of  his  silly  vanity,  and  go 
to  work,  he  might  be  saved  from  a  lifetime  of 
crime. 


336  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

Donald  came  out  of  the  fire  without  the  stain  of 
smoke  upon  him.  After  the  great  race,  as  Mr. 
Norwood  was  in  no  hurry  for  the  Alice,  he  went 
on  the  long  cruise  with  the  fleet,  in  the  Sea  Foam. 
They  coasted  along  the  shore  as  far  as  Portland, 
visiting  the  principal  places  on  the  seaboard.  On 
the  cruise  down  Donald  " coached"  his  friend, 
Ned  Patterdale,  in  the  art  of  sailing;  and  on  the 
return  he  rendered  the  same  service  to  Rodman. 
Both  of  them  proved  to  be  apt  scholars ;  and  after 
long  practice,  they  were  able  to  bring  out  the 
speed  of  their  yachts,  and  stood  a  fair  chance  in 
a  regatta. 

On  the  cruise,  the  yachts  were  racing  all  the 
time  when  under  way,  but  the  results  were  by  no 
means  uniform.  When  Donald  sailed  the  Maud, 
she  beat  the  Skylark;  but  when  Rodman  skip 
pered  her  himself,  the  commodore  outsailed  him. 
The  Maud  beat  the  Sea  Foam,  as  a  general  rule; 
but  one  day  Robert  Montague  sailed  the  latter, 
and  the  former  was  beaten. 

"Don  John,  I  don't  know  yet  which  is  the  fast 
est  craft  in  the  fleet,"  said  Commodore  Montague, 
as  they  were  seated  on  Manheigan  Island,  looking 
down  upon  the  fleet  anchored  below  them. 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  337 

"I  thought  you  did,  Bob,"   laughed  Donald. 

4 'No,  I  don't.  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  you  can  sail  a  yacht  better  than  I  can,  and 
that  is  the  reason  that  you  beat  me  in  the  Maud, 
as  you  did  in  the  Sea  Foam. ' ' 

4 'No,  no ! "  replied  Donald.  ' 'I  am  sure  I  can't 
sail  a  boat  any  better  than  you  can. ' ' 

"I  can  outsail  any  boat  in  the  fleet  when  you 
are  ashore." 

"We  can  easily  settle  the  matter,  Bob." 

"How?" 

"You  shall  sail  the  Maud,  and  I  will  sail  the 
Skylark.  If  the  difference  is  in  the  skippers,  we 
shall  come  in  about  even.  If  the  Maud  is  the 
better  sailer,  you  will  beat  me." 

"Good!   I'll  do  it." 

"You  will  do  your  best  in  the  Maud — won't 
you?" 

"Certainly;  and  you  will  do  the  same  in  the 
Skylark." 

"To  be  sure.  We  will  sail  around  Matinicus 
Rock  and  back. ' ' 

The  terms  of  the  race  were  agreed  upon,  and  the 
interest  of  the  whole  club  was  excited.  The  party 
went  on  board  the  fleet,  and  the  two  yachts  were 


338  THE    YACHT   CLUB,   OR 

moored  in  line.  At  the  firing  of  the  gun  on  board 
the  Sea  Foam,  they  run  up  their  jibs  and  got 
a  good  start.  The  wind  was  west,  a  lively  breeze, 
but  not  heavy.  Each  yacht  carried  her  large 
gaff-topsail  and  the  balloon-jib.  The  course  was 
about  forty  miles,  the  return  from  the  rock 
being  a  beat  dead  to  windward.  Robert  and 
Donald  each  did  his  best,  and  the  Maud  came  in 
twelve  minutes  ahead  of  the  Skylark. 

"I  am  satisfied  now,"  said  Robert,  when  they 
met  after  the  race. 

"I  was  satisfied  before,"  laughed  Donald.  "I 
was  confident  the  Maud  was  faster  than  the  Sky 
lark  or  the  Sea  Foam." 

*  'I  agree  with  you  now ;  and  I  have  more  respect 
for  myself  than  I  had  before,  for  I  thought  it  was 
you,  and  not  the  Maud,  which  had  beaten  me," 
added  Robert.  "I  have  also  a  very  high  respect 
for  the  firm  of  Ramsay  &  Son." 

The  members  of  the  club  enjoyed  the  excursion 
exceedingly;  and  on  their  return  it  was  decided 
to  repeat  it  the  next  year,  if  not  before.  The 
club-house  on  Turtle  Head  was  finished  when  the 
fleet  arrived  at  Belfast ;  and  during  the  rest  of  the 
vacation,  the  yachts  remained  in  the  bay.  They 


THE   YOUNG   BOAT-BUILDER.  339 

had  chowders  and  fries  at  the  Head,  to  which  the 
ladies  were  invited;  and  Donald  made  himself  as 
agreeable  as  possible  to  Miss  Nellie  on  these  occa 
sions.  Possibly  her  father  and  mother  had  some 
objections  to  this  continued  and  increasing  inti 
macy;  if  they  had,  they  did  not  mention  them. 
They  were  compelled  to  acknowledge,  when  they 
talked  the  matter  over  between  themselves,  that 
Donald  Ramsay  was  an  honest,  intelligent,  noble 
young  man,  with  high  aims  and  pure  principles, 
and  that  these  qualifications  were  infinitely  pref 
erable  to  wealth  without  them;  and  they  tacitly 
permitted  the  affair  to  take  its  natural  course,  as 
I  have  no  doubt  it  will.  Certainly  the  young 
people  were  very  devoted  to  each  other;  and 
though  they  are  too  young  to  think  of  anything 
but  friendship,  it  will  end  in  a  wedding. 

In  the  autumn,  after  the  frame  of  the  Alice  was 
all  set  up,  Barbara  obtained  a  situation  as  a  teacher 
in  one  of  the  public  schools,  and  added  her  salary 
to  the  income  of  the  boat-builder.  The  family 
lived  well,  and  were  happy  in  each  other.  After 
the  boating  season  closed,  the  yacht  club  hired 
apartments,  in  which  a  library  and  reading-room 
were  fitted  up ;  and  the  members  not  only  enjoyed! 


340  THE   YACHT   CLUB,    OR 

the  meetings  every  week,  but  they  profited  by 
their  reading  and  their  study.  Donald  is  still 
an  honored  and  useful  member,  and  people  say 
that,  by  and  by,  when  the  country  regains  her 
mercantile  marine,  he  will  be  a  ship-builder,  and 
not,  as  now,  THE  YOUNG  BOAT-BUILDER. 


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